


Beyond Survival

by gluedwithgold



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Sex, Escape, Forests, M/M, Physical and sexual abuse - not between main pairing, Slavery, hidden identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 02:07:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15038336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluedwithgold/pseuds/gluedwithgold
Summary: When vampires take over the country, Jared is forced into slavery. After nearly two years, he can't take the abuse and humiliation any more - Jared runs. Can he make it to the border and the safety of Canada? Or will his life change forever when he comes across a handsome stranger in the woods?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 [SPN J2 BigBang](https://spn-j2-bigbang.livejournal.com/)
> 
> I was lucky to have my story chosen by the lovely [Bluefire986](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluefire986/profile) \- please go leave her some love for her gorgeous artwork [here](https://bluefire986.livejournal.com/18001.html)! 
> 
> Beta read by my dearest [non_tiembo_mala](http://archiveofourown.org/users/non_tiembo_mala) \- this wouldn't be half the story it is without all your help whipping it into shape, dear - I love you! <3

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Jared watched in horror as the black and red uniformed figures came on the TV screen and dragged the reporters from the newsdesk. He’d known for a week now that he should act, should pack a bag and run, head for the border or into the woods, anything. But he was frozen. He couldn’t tear himself away from the reports.

Three weeks ago, the news began reporting on just one subject. Vampires. The first week it was a large-scale attack that had taken down the government and military. Then it was the vampire militia taking people out of their homes. The death toll rose quickly, with people just as likely to be killed by a vampire as to be taken by one in those first few weeks. The only thing Jared was sure of was the world had changed drastically.

His first instinct was to stay put, hide himself away. After the first reports, Jared had ventured outside and stocked up on food, but he hadn’t left his apartment since. He slept little, and glued himself to the television, watching the Vampire Apocalypse, or Vampocalypse as the edgier reporters had dubbed it, happen from the comfort of his couch.

By the third week, the television stations were being taken over. Now, the last station run by humans was gone. Jared watched as a vampire took a seat in the anchor’s chair, and began speaking.

“Humans no longer run this country. Lord Sheppard is now the ruler of the United States. If you are human, you will be taken into custody. Do not resist. You will serve the vampires. You will not be killed, your life is not in danger….”

The vampire droned on, repeating the ‘new world order’ manifesto Jared had heard at least a dozen times in the past week. Lord Sheppard was king, old vampires ran the country, new vampires served the old. Humans belonged to the vampires.

Jared closed his eyes, trying to still the trembling in his limbs. He should go, right now. Pack a bag and run before it was too late. He just couldn’t move. All he could do was sit, head in his hands, trembling.

The door swung in with a loud bang as it was kicked in, and Jared barely had time to stand, let alone move away, before strong hands had hold of his arms. He tried to pull back, using all his strength to wrench himself free, flashes of black and red blurring in his vision. But it was no use – these were vampires. They were too strong. Words he’d heard over and over echoed in his head – do not resist. He couldn’t stop his muscles from tensing and pulling at the grip on him, but he stilled.

He looked up, and saw a large man – vampire – in an officer’s uniform standing amongst the splinters of wood that used to be his door. Two more, dressed in the standard militia uniform, were on either side of Jared. He didn’t stand a chance against even one vampire, let alone three. Jared slumped, exhaling as he deflated and the instinct to fight left him. The officer smirked.

“You’re being taken into custody of Sheppard’s Militia. Come peacefully, and you’ll be unharmed.” The officer spoke the words robotically, as though he’d said them hundreds of times before. He probably had. A quick flick of his wrist toward the hallway, and the soldiers started moving, pushing Jared out of his apartment.

He would have fallen down the stairs if he wasn’t being restrained, his legs barely keeping him upright, hardly responding to his brain’s commands to move. After stumbling to the ground floor, Jared was half-dragged out of the building to the street.

All around him, Jared heard screams and clattering. He lifted his head and glanced around. His neighborhood looked like the scenes he’d been watching on TV. The street was lined with black, windowless vans, and all up and down the block people were being dragged from their homes. Some were walking of their own accord, but more were struggling and being struck with heavy fists until they were thrown into the backs of the vehicles.

The creak of the back door on the nearest van drew Jared’s attention back in front of him, and then he was lifted and shoved, landing hard on the bare metal floor of the van. Another creak, and everything went dark. Jared felt himself go cold, his head spinning, a sharp pain in his forehead where it had connected with the floor. Then the dark went darker when he slipped from consciousness.

Jared woke in increments. First the throbbing in his head, then the cold. There were quiet shuffling sounds all around him, sniffling, some intermittent sobs. He peeled his eyes open, and tried to look around.

The only light was a thin line from the space between the floor and what Jared assumed was the door. He could make out the rough shapes of other people, but it was too dark to see anything more. He couldn’t tell how big the room was, or how many other people were in it with him.

His memory came back in flashes – his door exploding, the face of the vampire officer, the van-lined street. As he pieced it all together, his heart sank. He’d been taken. His life was over now – maybe not physically, but he was no longer free. Why didn’t he run when he had the chance?

He tried to fight back the tears, but a few slipped out anyway. He reached up and wiped them away, and his hand came away far wetter than a few tears. He brought his fingers to his nose and smelled the sharp, coppery tang of blood. He remembered hitting the floor face-first then, and realized that was the cause of his aching head.

Hours passed. No one spoke or moved around the room except for some shuffling to change positions. After a while Jared realized it was because the room was full – there wasn’t room for anyone to move around because there were so many people crammed into the small space.

More hours passed, and the light under the door went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. Jared assumed it must be night time, so he curled his arms around his knees, lowered his head to rest on his forearms and tried to sleep.

He dozed for what felt like a few hours, then the light came back on. The other people around him began to stir, and the room began to fill with the odor of urine as people’s bladders gave way.

A loud metallic clang came from nearby, outside the room. A din of voices rose, along with sobbing and shouting. A loud smack, a thud, and the din hushed, followed by a deep-timbered voice that sounded authoritative, even though Jared couldn’t make out any of the words. It had to be another holding cell just like this one, and the vamps had opened it up to deal with the people inside. Soon there was a steady stream of footsteps and shuffling, more screams and yelling moving past the door. Jared shifted his position so he could see the shadows of people and vampires moving past the cell in the hallway.

More than an hour later, a group of shadows stopped in front of the cell. There was a clattering sound as a key was inserted and turned, then the door swung open, flooding the room with harsh light from the fluorescent bulbs lining the hallway ceiling. Jared was pushed back as the crowd of people surged away from the five vampires that entered the room.

Jared kept his head down, listening and glancing up only slightly as the vamps went to work. Two of them stood on either side of the door. Two more stood off to the side – one with a clipboard wearing an officer’s uniform, the other with a small cart he’d wheeled. The fifth stepped further into the room and grabbed the first person he came to, a small woman in a bathrobe, and dragged her up to the front of the room. Jared could hear her whimpering.

“Name?” the officer demanded, his voice strong and sure.

Jared couldn’t make out her response, just that her voice shook and she was crying.

The officer went through a series of other questions, while the other soldier wrapped a metal bracelet around her wrist and welded the two ends closed so it couldn’t be removed. It all took less than five minutes, the officer marking things off on his clipboard before he turned and nodded at the guards at the door and bellowed “farm”. One of the guards grabbed the woman by the elbow and led her out of the room, another guard immediately taking his place.

The same process repeated, over and over, each person being questioned, logged, tagged and sorted. There were three options – farm, conversion, and auction.

Jared had learned about these options from his incessant news-watching over the past few weeks. Once the vamps started taking over the broadcasts, they vaguely described what was happening to humans, under the guise of disclosure – though they never gave much detail about what to expect.

Farms were where humans went to be blood donors. The new vampires – those turned since the takeover started – were given a ration of harvested blood from these farms. They’d never be allowed to feed from live humans, under penalty of death or starvation. It was Sheppard’s way of making them dependent on the old vampires, while still boosting vampire numbers in order to keep control.

That’s what conversion meant. Those chosen to be converted would be turned into vampires and forced into service of the new regime in order to get their ration. Logically, that sounded like the best option, or at least the highest ranking a human could achieve. But Jared would rather die than become a bloodsucker.

The auction was for blood slaves. Old vampires were allowed to keep slaves to feed from, clean their houses, cook, whatever they wanted them for. They just weren’t allowed to drain or kill their slaves. Sheppard’s one cardinal law: don’t kill humans. It seemed contradictory, since half the humans who came into contact with vampires were killed when the apocalypse started, but apparently that was just to reduce numbers and ensure control. After just a few short weeks, vampires outnumbered humans nearly three to one. It was well-planned.

After the first dozen or so people were sent out of the room, Jared was grabbed and dragged up to the front. The officer looked him up and down while turning over to a fresh sheet of paper on his clipboard. Jared kept his head down, only glancing at the vampire from the corners of his eyes.

“Name?”

“Jared Padalecki.” Jared tried to keep his voice steady and firm, though it was still shaky. He figured the stronger he appeared, the better his outcome would be.

“Age?”

“26.”

“Education?”

“Bachelor degree.”

“Occupation?”

“Bookstore owner.”

The officer glanced up and turned the paper over.

“Name and address of the business?”

Jared listed it off, assuming it was no longer his property anyway, so there was no point in making things worse for himself by trying to keep it from them. The officer noted the information and turned back to the front page.

“Illnesses?”

“None.” Jared repeated that answer for a barrage of questions relating to his health, everything from corrective vision wear to history of STDs. The officer ticked off boxes and scribbled notes while the other soldier wrapped the metal band around Jared’s wrist. The welding was less painful than it looked, and Jared was able to shift the hot metal away from his skin for a few moments while it cooled, so he didn’t even get burned.

The officer seemed to take his time, looking Jared up and down several times, considering. He raised his hand to his chin and rubbed at the short stubble there, as though he was having trouble deciding. Finally, he turned to the guards at the door.

“Auction!” he bellered, and the guard on the left stepped forward quickly, grabbing Jared’s elbow and pulling him out into the hallway.

The processing was dizzying. Jared was led through a maze of hallways to a large, open shower room, stripped, scrubbed and rinsed, then given a set of grey hospital scrubs to put on. Next, he was brought to a large room full of cots – a makeshift infirmary – where the wound on his forehead was cleaned, stitched and bandaged. Next was a stop in the restroom, where the stall doors had been removed and four guards watched as he relieved himself. Then he was brought outside and across a dirt yard to a barracks. It was a large, long room lined with single beds. The guard who’d been leading him through everything brought him to an unmade bed with a small pile of folded sheets, towels, and an extra set of scrubs sitting on the mattress.

“This is your bunk. You’re to stay here except for meals and exercise time. No talking.”

With that, the guard left, and Jared looked around the room. Two thirds of the beds were occupied, most of them watching Jared, others curled up under their covers. Jared took a deep breath, let it out slowly to steady himself, then set about making his bed. There was nothing but the beds, so he stashed the extra clothes under his pillow and laid down. He had no concept of how much time had passed since he’d been taken from his apartment, but he figured it was close to two days now. He hadn’t slept or eaten in that time. He let his eyes close, and drifted off to sleep, hoping the commotion of the other inmates moving would wake him when it was time to eat.

Jared woke with a start when his bed was jostled. He shot upright, looked around, and realized someone had purposely bumped into his bed to wake him, because everyone was filing out of the room. He spun his legs off the bed and stood, quickly falling in line with the others and following them.

The mess hall reminded Jared of his high school cafeteria, and he expected to be served something like gruel. But the meal was real food – burgers, potato salad and steamed broccoli. His stomach growled as he sat down at a table and began to eat.

The room was eerily quiet - apparently the no talking rule was for meal times, too. As he ate, Jared’s mind replayed everything that had happened so far. He found himself confused, because all in all, it hadn’t been that awful of an experience. Aside from the rough landing into the van, he hadn’t been hurt. Even though no one was friendly or even particularly nice, he hadn’t been verbally abused. The bed was comfortable, the blanket warm. And now he’d been given a surprisingly palatable meal.

And that’s when it hit him. He wasn’t being treated well out of a sense of decency. It wasn’t compassion. He was being treated well in the same way dogs are treated well because they’re pets, or chickens and cows are treated well – because they produce food. Jared realized that’s what he was now. To the vampires, he was food.

The routine was simple. Three meals a day, shower and change of clothes after breakfast, two half-hour exercise sessions that consisted of everyone in the barrack walking in a line around the circle of the yard. Stand and raise your hand to be escorted to the restroom. Otherwise, you stay on your bed.

Some people slept most of the time. It was an unspoken rule to jostle the bed of sleeping inmates as you passed when meal or exercise time came. Otherwise there was no communication, not even nods. Jared wasn’t sure what would happen if someone were caught in a non-verbal conversation, but he had a feeling he didn’t want to find out.

Other people sat quietly on their beds, and some supplemented the hour of walking with other exercise – pushups or situps on the floor next to their bunk. The guards never told anyone to stop, and by watching, Jared figured out that the left side of his bed was his for this activity, so he started joining the few who did this. It was better than sitting there with nothing to do but think.

On the third day, shortly after the morning walk, an officer came into the barracks flanked by two soldiers. The guards posted at the doors stepped aside instantly, and the officer stopped just a few feet into the room.

“Everyone up!” he barked, pausing while everyone immediately stood up at the sides of their beds. “Fall in line and follow.”

The officer turned on his heel, headed back out of the room followed by the two soldiers. The inmates started following after, falling into two lines, one from each side of the room. Jared’s stomach churned and his palms grew sweaty as he walked. He had no idea what was happening.

The line snaked through the hallways, turning left and right a few times, before entering a room. Jared craned his neck to try to see what was ahead, but it wasn’t until he passed through the doors that he could figure it out. The room was a small auditorium, like a lecture hall. All the inmates were led to the front, onto a small stage where they were lined up facing the seating area.

The seating area was occupied by about two dozen vampires, some of them in officer’s uniforms, some in suits. Once all the inmates were in place, the vampires began approaching the stage. They were looking over the inmates, scrutinizing their bodies and faces, occasionally making a turning motion with a hand to have a particular person turn around. There was no mistaking it – this was the auction.

It was actually more of a lottery. After a half hour of inspection, the vampires each made their way to a table at the side of the room, where they filled out a slip of paper and dropped it in a large bowl. When everyone was back to their seats, an officer stepped up to the center of the stage in front of the line of inmates with the bowl. He drew out a slip of paper, and called out the name. That vampire got first pick from the humans.

The blood slaves were provided to the old vampires by Sheppard as part of the new regime. They didn’t need to pay for their slave, and as long as they weren’t found at fault if a slave died or became too ill, they’d be given a new one whenever needed.

The first vampire called picked out his slave, was given his corresponding paperwork – Jared assumed it was the answers to the questions they were asked after first being taken – and after looking it over and apparently finding it agreeable, he signed for and took his new slave. An uneasy twisting formed a pit in Jared’s stomach as he watched the proceedings. There were more vampires than inmates in the room – Jared had to assume he wasn’t going back to the barracks.

“Mark Pellegrino,” the officer called out. A tall vamp with dirty blond hair and a pinched face stepped up to the edge of the stage. He immediately moved to stand in front of and point at Jared. Jared’s veins iced over and a chill ran up his spine.

Pellegrino looked over the paperwork, glancing back at Jared a few times, then nodded and signed his name.

Jared tried to keep his body from shaking, but his knees threatened to give out as he walked across the stage, down the three small steps, and into the waiting grip of his new owner.


	2. Chapter Two

The leash was humiliating on its own. Jared would never get used to being led around town tethered by a six foot strap of leather. It’d been a year and a half, and every time the clasp clicked onto the ring, his stomach churned and his face grew hot. But the collar just made everything worse.

At first it had been just an inch-wide belt around his neck, similar to any collar a dog would have. But after last week’s fiasco at the nightclub, Pellegrino had replaced it with a band of leather that covered Jared’s neck entirely, pressing into his collarbone and scraping against his chin, forcing Jared to keep his head held high.

Jared had been sitting quietly at the table, where Mark had left him with the end of the leash tied off to one of the rings bolted to the underside of the table, when another vamp sat down next to him and got handsy. Jared didn’t react – that would have been worse for him – and by the time Pellegrino came back, the vamp had his hand in Jared’s crotch and his fangs dragging across the skin of his neck. The ensuing fight would have been impressive had Jared not been terrified, but Pellegrino won, leaving the other vampire in a heap on the floor bleeding, then gathered up Jared and dragged him – literally, by the leash – out of the club.

Walking down the street behind Mark, Jared could still feel the aching bruises on his ass and thighs from the beating he’d received when they’d gotten home that night.

The sharp tug at Jared’s neck brought him back to the present, turning on his heel to follow Pellegrino into the cafe. Once Mark sat down at a table, Jared slid into the chair next to him, slouching down as much as he could to make himself seem smaller, but still sitting up straight and proud like his owner wanted. The need to avoid punishment overrode the need for comfort, but more importantly for Jared, he needed to keep Pellegrino convinced he was submissive.

Mark ordered their meals – steak and creamed spinach for Jared, plenty of iron to rebuild his blood supply after last night’s feeding. Jared had no choice anymore. He’d have to eat everything he was given, whether he was hungry or not. At least he didn’t starve.

Pellegrino made sure to keep Jared healthy. Some vamps didn’t care, gave their slaves table scraps and didn’t pay attention to nutrition or anemia. Jared was lucky in that sense – if you could call it luck. He’d seen other slaves being led around, pale and weak. Eventually they’d grow ill, too sick to do the work required of them, and the owners would trade them in for a healthier human, sending the first slave off to the farms for blood harvesting or breeding. It wasn’t care or concern for Jared as a person though. Mark was cocky and got a sick sense of satisfaction having a young, strong slave trailing behind him. It was an ego boost for him – the other vampires seeing his slave, tall and muscular, submitting to his every whim. Jared knew his game and played along.

While waiting for their meals to arrive, Jared kept his eyes downward, but darted them to the side enough to catch the grin of smug satisfaction on Pellegrino’s face. Casting a quick glance around the restaurant, he could see why – every vampire in the place was gazing at them, particularly at the wide collar around Jared’s neck. One of them stood and made his way to their table.

“Mark! Long time no see!” the vampire grinned while looking back and forth between Jared and Pellegrino.

“Collins. How’s business?” Mark didn’t smile, but the smugness in his voice had the same effect.

“Oh, same old. Another day, another farm.” Collins chuckled. Jared knew who he was now, after hearing the name. Misha Collins was the minister of education, responsible for setting up schools in the farms for the children already there, and eventually for the ones who’d been bred so far – none of the vampires wanted a dumb slave, at least insofar as they wanted their humans to be able to read and write, be able to do math – it certainly wasn’t a college education they were given, nothing that would breed original thought or instill ideas of rebellion. Collins pointed at Jared’s neck. “That’s some nice new hardware, huh?”

“Mmm,” Pellegrino hummed, reaching out and tugging at the leash close to the collar. “Had it custom made. Had a little problem with Weatherly the other night – asshole thought he could have himself a drink without my permission.”

“Oh really? Hope you put that bastard in his place.” Misha shifted from foot to foot, eager to hear the story so he could spread the gossip around.

“I sure did. Left him in a heap. Then Jared and I had a little lesson about inviting attention. Didn’t we Jared?”

Jared held back the cringe when Mark put his hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze like it was some sort of affectionate gesture. Instead, Jared raised his eyes, first briefly looking at Misha, then at Mark with a slight nod. “Yes, sir.”

“After that I decided not to chance another incident, had the collar made. Keeps my blood safe, and gives Jared a nice poise, don’t you think?” Mark drew his hand from Jared’s shoulder up to his covered neck, running a finger up and down the leather.

“It’s quite impressive!” Misha agreed. “You might start a trend once everyone sees that.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Mark chuckled, feigning humility as he took his hand back from Jared’s neck.

“Did you hear about Wade?” Misha changed the subject. Now that he’d gotten a piece of gossip it was his turn to give some back – that was how he worked.

“Wade who?” Mark asked, sounding genuinely interested, though Jared assumed it was a put-on.

“Travis Aaron Wade?” Misha paused long enough for Mark to nod. “Brought his slave back to the Center to trade in, said he didn’t know why the girl was sick. They were just starting the paperwork and she dropped dead. Turns out he’d drained her and the walk from the car to the office did her in.”

“Oh really? I always thought he was bad news. Never understood how good we have it, always wanting more.” Mark shook his head as though the whole situation was a tragedy. “They put him away?”

“Of course. Sentencing is next week. He’s been through seven slaves already, and most of them he returned in questionable condition. I have a feeling he’s gonna get–” Misha made a slicing motion with his finger across his neck.

“Well, good riddance. Guys like that are bad for vampkind, if you ask me.”

“Couldn’t agree more!” Misha said, stepping aside when the waitress arrived with their plates. “I’ll leave you to your meal. Good to see you, Mark.”

The vampire left their table and Pellegrino picked up his knife and fork, looking over his meal before starting to eat. Jared waited, watching from the corner of his eye for Mark to take his first bite before he reached for his own silverware.

Jared pulled the rake across the grass, shuffling the leaves into a neat line down the center of the lawn. He kept an ear out for the back door of the house, in case Mark came out to pull him away from his chores. He could feel the lighter in his pocket as he moved, anxious to tuck it away with the rest of his stash as soon as he could.

For months, Jared had been squirreling away supplies into a backpack he’d hidden in the garden shed on the far side of the lawn, and as soon as he had enough, he just needed to watch for the right opportunity to run.

He’d been planning his escape for nearly a year now. At first, he was just desperate to avoid the beatings. The humiliation, being treated like an animal, used in so many ways – from forced labor to Mark’s plaything for his sick obsessions – those were all bad enough, but the beatings were what broke Jared. So he did his best to do what Mark wanted. But once he started, he found Mark would give him small freedoms the better he played the part of submissive, loyal slave. Things like being allowed to wear regular clothes instead of the lightweight, loose-fitting scrubs most slaves wore, or, more recently, the autonomy to be left alone in the yard, working, instead of being guarded.

Jared had figured out what Mark wanted and he’d done it, while at the same time doing little things to convince Mark he was loyal, that he could be trusted. It didn’t take much – a few submissive looks, apologizing for being a disappointment when he did something ‘wrong’. Jared found he was a good actor, and was able to fake a believable Stockholm Syndrome so well that after a few months, Mark even left him unguarded, alone in the car, while he went into the post office. Jared had overheard him bragging to coworkers about it on several occasions, so he knew his ruse was working.

So, in his brief moments of freedom, Jared had started gathering whatever he could and hiding it in the kitchen or in his pockets until he could get outside – Mark probably thought he just enjoyed yardwork – and stash it away. Mark never set foot anywhere near the tool shed, and once inside away from any eyes, Jared was free to build his stockpile.

Food was going to be the hardest part – sneaking around with a can of beans in his pants wasn’t really an option – but Jared figured if he took the right opportunity to slip away, he could raid the kitchen on his way out.

Once the leaves were all cleaned up and dumped on top of the compost pile behind the shed, Jared rolled the wheelbarrow and rake back inside. He put the tools away, then went to the back corner of the shed and dug under the pile of tarps for the backpack. He dropped the lighter in and took a quick inventory of what he’d amassed – two canteens, a can opener, a few packets of vegetable seeds, a hunting knife, a pocketknife, a small hatchet, a warm jacket and some extra clothes. He’d decided some basic first aid supplies were the last things he needed, and since Mark had recently allowed Jared the freedom to shower with the bathroom door closed, it wouldn’t be that hard to do over the next few weeks.

Jared took a deep breath as he buried his stash again. It was nearly time. He was almost ready. He could make his move, head for the woods and keep moving, either until he hit the Canadian border or he found a spot remote enough to remain undiscovered. Wherever he landed, he’d finally be free again.

Jared sat down on the edge of the bed, letting his eyes close. This part was the same every time – he didn’t need to see anything. The bed dipped as Mark kneeled behind Jared, slowly, almost reverently, unfastening the collar around his neck. He let his fingers drag across Jared’s skin, leaned in and sniffed at his veins, scenting him. Jared focused on relaxing the tension in his shoulders as Mark leaned over, placing the collar on the nightstand. The tenser he was, the more likely Mark was to accuse Jared of resisting. That never went well.

Mark’s hands returned, sliding over Jared’s shoulders to his chest and finding the first button of his shirt. His weight pressed against Jared’s back as Mark unfastened each button, slowly, then pulled the shirt off and tossed it to the end of the bed. His t-shirt came off next, then Mark leaned back against the headboard, pulling Jared with him to rest against his chest between his legs.

The pinch of fangs sinking into his neck made Jared’s shoulders tense. The too-familiar sensation of lips sucking and blood flowing from the punctures turned his stomach. But Jared sat still, kept these reactions minute. He was sure Mark could sense them – he was a vampire, after all, and they were pressed close together.

As he drank, Mark’s hands roamed over Jared’s body – across his chest, down his side to his hips. Jared knew he was lucky – Mark had never gone further than groping Jared during a feeding. He’d heard other vampires tell Mark about what they did to their slaves while feeding and Jared was grateful Mark didn’t seem to have the same sexual predilection some of them did. He seemed to prefer Jared’s neck – he’d only once stripped Jared naked and fed from the femoral artery in his thigh. From the stories, it seemed Mark was quicker to dole out beatings than the others, so Jared figured it evened out in the end.

Mark was already slightly drunk on blood. The party they’d been to had an open bar, and Mark had indulged in more than a few cocktails. With the new abundance of human blood, the vampires had figured out how to distill it into various liquors – Jared didn’t know how they did it, and he didn’t want to. Just the idea turned his stomach.

His intoxication made Mark more handsy than usual, and soon he was opening the zipper of Jared’s pants and pulling out his cock. Jared forced his focus to the blood being pulled from his neck – slowly, always slowly – and ignored the fact he couldn’t control the blood rushing to his dick. Soon he felt Mark’s erection pressing against the small of his back, hips gyrating forward and back in increasing speed.

Jared closed his eyes tighter, holding back the tears and frustration. In his deepest core he wanted to fight, to run, to scream. He had to fight his instincts with every bit of strength he had, fight to stay still, silent, calm.

As Mark’s thrusting increased in speed and force, so did the movements of his hand and mouth. He pulled more and more blood from Jared’s neck, and Jared’s balls tightened and he felt the impending discharge.  

This had only happened a few times. Usually Mark just fed, sometimes rubbing off at Jared’s back the same way, or he’d take himself in hand. The first time, Jared had panicked when he got hard, more when he felt his body reacting to the stimulation. But by the end, he had ejaculated without the usual accompanying pleasure.

The same was true now, as Jared felt his body go through the physical sensations. Mark’s grip on his dick tightened, and his dick responded. When Mark pulled off his neck to shout and groan through his own orgasm, Jared’s body pushed out a weak stream of semen, just enough to coat Mark’s fingers, then the blood retreated from his groin, he softened in Mark’s hand and it was finally over.

Mark released Jared and slumped back against the bed, his breath coming in quick, heavy bursts. “Go get me a towel.”

“Yes, sir.” Jared stood quickly, ignoring the dizziness from the blood loss, grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it on as he made his way to the bathroom.

When he walked back into the bedroom, towel in hand, Jared froze. Mark was laying in the same position as when Jared had left, snoring softly. A tingle of excitement raced up Jared’s spine, a small burst of hope erupting in his gut. He quietly stepped up to the bed, and slowly, gently, wiped the mess from Mark’s hand. He didn’t move. No reaction. He was passed out.

To be sure, Jared laid his hand on Mark’s arm and shook him. Once lightly, then again with a little more force. The vampire was out cold.

Jared threw a blanket over Mark, grabbed the towel and collar – the longer it took for Mark to realize something was amiss on waking, the better, so Jared did everything as he would if Mark were still awake – and shut the door to the bedroom behind him. He took in a deep breath, exhaled, then took off down the stairs.

In the kitchen, Jared grabbed a market bag and quickly filled it with food. He grabbed everything he could that wouldn’t spoil and didn’t need much preparation. Last, from the fridge, he grabbed the container of leftover steak. As much as Jared hated being told what to eat, Mark was right about the diet he kept him on – especially right after being fed on, Jared would need the iron.

Jared took the bulging bag into his small bedroom off the side of the kitchen. He tossed in the bottles of iron and multivitamin supplements that sat on the nightstand, threw on a sweatshirt and his shoes, closed the door behind him and headed for the back door.

He stood there a moment, hand on the knob, listening. He strained to hear any sound at all coming from the rest of the house. There was nothing. Mark was still unconscious. With one more deep breath, Jared pushed the door open, stepped through, and closed it silently behind him.

Jared darted across the back lawn, his long legs carrying him over the space at just shy of a run. He ducked into the shed, and in the dim light of the moon seeping in from the open door, he made quick work of transferring the food to the large camping backpack that had been living under a pile of dusty tarps in the back corner for months.

When he was done, he pulled the shed door closed again, hefted the pack onto his back, and ducked around the back of the small building. He looked back at the house, all the windows dark except for the small light over the sink in the kitchen. He was going to make it.

Mark’s house was at the edge of town, and his backyard butted up against the edge of large copse of woods. Jared walked slowly and silently through the trees, knowing another vampire could be out there – though at almost two in the morning it was highly unlikely. After just fifteen minutes, the woods ended and Jared stood at the edge, looking at the highway. He just had to cross the small open space and duck into the forest on the other side.

Jared waited longer than he probably needed to, but he had to be sure. He stood, hidden by the edge of the trees, listening and watching for any cars. His heart was thumping against his ribs in his chest, adrenaline compensating for the weakness of having been fed on so recently. There was no turning back. This was his chance. Everything was silent.

Jared stepped out from the trees onto the pavement, then ran at full speed across the two lanes of asphalt. He slowed only slightly when he passed the first trees of the forest, running until he was deep enough to be unseen by any passing cars on the road.

Finally, Jared had reached relative safety. And freedom.


	3. Chapter Three

Jared was exhausted from both the loss of blood from Mark’s last feeding and the stress of his escape. He kept moving because he knew he had to, but it was a struggle. He hadn’t slept yet – he knew he needed to be as far away from Mark’s house as possible by the time he woke up and found Jared gone. In the first few hours, Jared ate all the steak he’d stolen, downed a few of the iron supplements and drank a full canteen of his water. He’d need to find a stream soon, but the risk of passing out if he didn’t tend to the blood loss was more imminent than being without water.

An hour after sunrise he heard water trickling a few hundred yards away, and he headed toward it. He was careful when he came to the clearing where the stream cut through the trees, pausing to look both ways and across the shallow bank to make sure no one was around. Everything was quiet and still except the birds and the running water, so Jared stepped out from the cover of the forest and knelt down at the edge of the stream.

Jared filled the empty canteen, then drank from it greedily. After refilling it once more, he splashed the cold water on his face, took a deep breath in an attempt to relax, and looked around. Across the narrow stream there was a large, dead tree with bushes growing around it’s base. He could just barely see the darkness of the trunk – hollowed and hidden.

He’d been debating whether traveling at night would be better than during the day. Contrary to popular fiction and movies, vampires weren’t actually nocturnal. The only reason they were more active at night was to remain hidden – it wasn’t because the sun burned their skin. So the majority of the vampire population had quickly turned to daytime hours just like humans once they took over. So it was a matter of risk for Jared – traveling in daylight meant higher risk of being detected, and travelling at night meant it was more likely he could get hurt or lost. Finding a perfect hiding spot so soon after such a long night, when he was so exhausted, made the decision for him. He needed rest. He’d sleep now, and start moving again at nightfall.

It only took three or four steps to cross the stream, but it was enough to soak his shoes and send a shiver through his body. Once on the other bank, Jared trudged up the small hill to the tree. He moved the branches of the bushes aside, and found the opening in the tree was just large enough for him to squeeze his body through.

Once inside, he could lean against the tree and stretch his legs out – not quite enough room to truly get comfortable, but he felt safe tucked away in the dark, musty-smelling hole, so it was good enough. He tugged on the branches just outside the opening to make sure he was fully concealed, then took off his wet shoes, dug the jacket out from his backpack to cover up with and closed his eyes.

He woke with a jolt, just barely holding in a shout. There were voices. Close. Jared could just barely see out through the criss-crossed leaves, enough to see that the sun was going down. Once he calmed himself enough to really listen, he could tell it was a small group of men walking around outside – they were spread out, stomping through the underbrush and talking loudly between themselves.

“I don’t care how much of an asshole Pellegrino is – I want the damn reward for finding his pet. And you do, too, don’t try to deny it!”

“It serves him right the kid ran off – he was always gloating about ‘what a good slave’ he had,” the second voice said in a mocking tone. “Hell, he was probably planning to run from the start. Those slaves should be tied up all the time, they can’t be trusted.”

Jared froze, every muscle in his body locked. He only let himself breath enough to keep from passing out. He clenched his eyes shut tight and prayed his hiding spot was as good as he’d thought it was. All he could do was wait and listen.

“I’m not finding anything. Trail’s gone cold.” The first voice sounded like it was just a few feet away from the tree.

“Yeah, he must have turned or doubled back,” the second voice said, further away on the other side. “Hey Cohen! Got anything over there?”

A third voice, further away still, called back something Jared couldn’t make out but assumed was a negative response.

“Alright, let’s head back. We’ll find the last spot we tracked him and see where he turned. He couldn’t have come this way.”

The footsteps headed away quickly. Jared had all he could do to not let out a sigh of relief – he had to keep silent, they were still too close. And they were vampires – the smallest twig snapping could have them back in an instant.

Jared had no idea how he’d managed to not leave a trail. He’d been aware enough to walk carefully, avoid scuffing his feet through the leaves and dirt, but he hadn’t expected that to be enough. Although, vampires are generally cocky bastards, so they probably weren’t being too careful. It had to have been dumb luck that got them that close. And Jared’s dumb luck that he hadn’t been found out. It was probably the rotting scent of the tree that masked his human scent, because they hadn’t caught even an inkling of human. Relief washed over him for a moment, before he reminded himself he was nowhere near safe yet.

It was hours before Jared felt safe enough to move again. Each time he thought it would be okay, he’d lean forward toward the opening in the tree to listen, and think he heard a step or a voice. Some time would pass, the woods silent, and he’d start to breathe normally again. Then he’d try again, shift a little closer to the opening and again be frozen with fear.

When he finally squeezed through the hole it was close to midnight. He stood, just outside the tree with his backpack on his shoulders, ready to either run or dive back into the hiding space. After breathing some fresh air for a few minutes, his head cleared and he realized he was as safe as he was going to be, and he needed to move to keep it that way. So he started walking, still headed north, and further from the vampires.

The sleep had done Jared a world of good, and the protein bar he ate while he walked made him feel even better. He picked up his pace and made good time – he had no idea how far he’d gone altogether, but he felt lighter the further away he got.

By eight in the morning he’d began to drag again, so he decided to find a hiding spot. His luck wasn’t as good this time, but he managed to find a fallen log he could fit underneath, so he broke off some branches of a nearby tree, shimmied under the log and arranged the leaves to camouflage himself. After listening to convince himself no one was in the woods, Jared let himself drift off into sleep. He dreamt of being safe and warm, back in his childhood home when vampires were just a Halloween costume.

Eleven days passed the same. Jared walked all night, then when he couldn’t go any further, he’d search for a place to hide and sleep. Most days he couldn’t find more than a thick bush that he’d wedge himself inside, curling his body in on itself to make himself small and protect his skin from being cut by the branches. Once he found a small cave and was able to stretch out on the hard, rocky ground.

The discomfort didn’t matter, though. He was getting further and further from civilization with each day, and closer to freedom.

By the twelfth day, Jared had relaxed into his routine somewhat. He didn’t spend nearly as much time listening for footsteps, but he was starting to get concerned about his lack of supplies. He was down to two cans of baked beans and a bag of jerky, and both of his canteens were empty. It’d been two days since he’d found any source of water, and he’d finished the last of what he had a few hours ago.

He decided he needed to change course in order to find a stream or a river – there was obviously nothing in the direction he was going, so he took out the compass from his backpack and using the lighter to illuminate the face, he set himself moving northeast.

He’d gotten used to walking in the dark. The first few days had been a full moon, so it wasn’t too bad. But now, as his only light source was shrinking away, he had to slow down to avoid tripping or running into branches. Tonight, though, he was slowing down even more, listening as he walked for running water.

After an hour walking in the revised direction, Jared heard the distinct whooshing he’d been after. It was still a ways off, but there was definitely water. The sound was coming more from the east than the direction he was headed, so he altered his course again and followed the sound. Relieved, he picked up his pace.

He’d gotten close enough he could almost smell the water, and the sound was clear now – he could follow it right to its source. He was making a beeline for it, eager to stock up and drink his fill.

His foot caught on the root of a tree, stopping his forward momentum and plunging his body with all its weight behind him to the ground. He turned as he went down, trying to avoid smacking his face against the forest floor. There was the thump of his body hitting, and the snap of the twigs under him breaking, and a loud crack where his shoulder hit something hard.

The pain was instantaneous and sharp. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, and his eyes welled up with tears and spilled over while his shoulder throbbed. He lay there, still, for five minutes or so, terrified he’d hurt himself badly enough he wouldn’t be able to keep going.

As the panic subsided, he began to take inventory of his body. His hip ached, probably the first part of him to hit the ground with all his weight following. And his shoulder was very definitely injured.

Slowly, Jared sat up, easing himself upright while noting any pain with the movement. His hip still bent, and the pain didn’t get worse when moving, so he figured he’d just have one hell of a bruise there. But his shoulder felt hot, and worse, wet.

He reached up to feel it with his opposite hand, the light pressure causing a surge of new pain. When he drew his hand back, he lifted it to the barely-there moonlight and saw something black – he was bleeding.

A fresh wave of panic shot through him as his mind raced to remember anything and everything about first aid he’d ever learned. He didn’t have the knowledge or the supplies to deal with needing stitches, but his brain did kick in with at least a small plan – stop the bleeding.

Jared pulled off his sweatshirt and t-shirt, then pulled out the lighter from his pocket. Using the shirt, he wiped away the blood, gritting his teeth at the pain. Before it started to flow again, he could see a six inch gash running down the curve of his shoulder to his bicep. He folded the t-shirt lengthwise and wrapped it around his upper arm, then dug to the bottom of his backpack for the small spool of kitchen twine he’d swiped from Mark. After wrapping the string around the top of the shirt four or five times, he cut it off with his pocket knife and tied it off, tight. It hurt like hell, and he could feel his whole shoulder and arm throbbing, but he knew it was the only way he had of making any kind of tourniquet to slow the blood loss. He tied another length of twine around the bottom of the shirt just to keep it in place, packed up his bag again and slowly stood.

He actually found himself grateful for his experience with blood loss, because he could tell by how dizzy he was that he’d be okay. He took a few steps forward, carefully, to test his hip and the rest of his body, and when he found everything functioning at least satisfactorily, he started walking.

He still needed water, so he continued on toward the river, and soon the sound of rushing water was loud enough to drown out all the other noises of the nighttime woods. He was getting close.

Jared walked a few hundred feet further, and could barely make out the break in the trees where the river cut through. He almost smiled with relief, until he got close enough to see that the river that was supposed to be his savior was actually down an embankment – far too steep for Jared to attempt climbing down, even if he wasn’t injured.

He sighed, looking down at the flowing water. It looked like black oil in the darkness, but it was anything but – it was the difference between life and death for him. He’d just have to follow it. Somewhere along the river the bank wouldn’t be so steep. He had no other choice. So he walked.

His pace had slowed considerably, dejected by being so close to finding water, and in pain – his arm was still throbbing and he could feel drops of blood running down his arm every so often. But he kept on, following the river in the dark.

Hours passed, and still the bank was too steep. The sky was starting to change to the steel blue-gray of dawn, and Jared knew he needed to rest. He began his search, and half an hour later he found a boulder with some bushes growing on one side of it, wedged himself between them and pulled his knees up to his chest. The tension of his night drained from his body, and his eyes slipped closed. Drifting toward sleep, a mantra repeated itself in his head – please don’t bleed to death, please don’t bleed to death, please….


	4. Chapter Four

Jared rubbed at his throbbing head, the pain waking him. Opening his eyes to a bare squint he could see the sun filtering through the branches of the bush he was curled up behind – still high enough it’d be a few hours yet before sunset. He closed his eyes again and took stock of himself. There was a dull ache in his arm, a twinge of sharp pain when he moved it. The pounding in his head was more worrisome. He was quickly growing dehydrated, and while he didn’t feel like he’d lost much more blood while he slept, that certainly wasn’t helping any.

He shifted to a sitting position, still mostly camouflaged by the branches, leaned his back against the boulder, and dug out one of his two remaining cans of baked beans. He wasn’t exceptionally hungry, and he hated to go through what little food he had left so quickly, but the liquid in the now-dented can was the closest thing he had to water, and he needed every drop he could get.

As he ate, Jared looked up at the sky, scanning the expanse of blue for clouds. He was hoping to see the thick, grey clouds that would bring a storm – even a light rain would help. But there was nothing, not even the fluffy white clouds that used to entertain him on lazy summer days as a kid.

Finished with his meal, he dug a small hole in the ground, buried his empty can and covered the disturbed earth with dead leaves. He smirked a little, thinking how if the vampires had the ability to see under the ground they’d have a clear trail to follow him – he’d been burying his debris the whole time. He felt a little bad about it – he hadn’t ever been an environmentalist by any means, but he recycled. He figured his life was more important than a few tin cans in the grand scheme of things, though.

Feeling a bit better, Jared crawled out from his hiding spot, stood and stretched. As he always did, he listened for a minute or two, trying to pick out any movement in the forest that wasn’t supposed to be there. Hearing nothing but birds and small animals, he started walking.

His pace was slower than usual. Along with the throbbing headache, he was a little dizzy, and the last thing he needed was another fall, another injury. Even moving in the daylight with every stump and rock well-lit he was being overly cautious.

It wasn’t long before he was back at the edge of the river, and he started following it again. At first, he convinced himself that it wouldn’t be long before the steep bank fell away and he’d find a safe way to get down to the water – that little bit of hope pushed him to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

After an hour, the sun beginning to get lower in the sky, Jared’s hope drained. Up ahead, through the trees, Jared could see nothing but rock. The outcropping grew upward steeply, and as his eyes followed it westward, he could see it was blocking his path. He’d have to change direction – away from the water. A few minutes later he was standing in front of the obstacle, his heart sinking. It was far too steep to climb, and Jared was in no condition to risk it even if it was possible. He sank to his knees with a dejected sigh. He’d come so far. If he’d wanted to die, he could have found a quicker way than this.

Jared let himself wallow for a few minutes. It felt good to sit and rest, but in the end he decided he wouldn’t give up. And if he wasn’t giving up, he had to get moving. If he didn’t get past this wall of rock in the light, he’d surely end up tripping again once the sun went down. So he dragged himself back to his feet, dug deep into the core of his being to find his stubbornness, and started moving.

Dusk was moving in fast when the wall of rock grew shorter and shorter as Jared walked, one foot in front of the other, forced by his determination to make it through this. Finally the landscape changed, the forest thinner and the rocks disappearing. Scanning his surroundings, Jared decided to turn himself back eastward, hoping he’d come across the river again in a spot that was more accessible. The rocky area seemed to be a fairly narrow strip, and he’d just walked around it, so hopefully he was right and he’d find water soon.

It was just a few minutes later that he glanced to his left and something caught his eye – a large, light-colored object that was very clearly not an organic part of the forest. Jared weighed his options – avoid it altogether, because it might be a sign he’d walked himself right back to civilization, or head toward it, investigate, because it might be just what he’d been looking for.

At first Jared decided to just get a little closer. He could always turn back, head the other direction if he felt it was dangerous. He stepped slowly, carefully, trying to move as silently as he could. The closer he got, the more convinced he was that it was something man-made sitting there. Closer still, he found a thick copse of trees and moved into it, ducking behind a large trunk to peer out around the side of it at the object. He stood completely still and listened for a good five minutes, watching for any movement. Nothing.

Gathering up his courage, he moved closer still, stepping from one tree to the next and pausing each time he could duck behind one to listen. Finally, when he was barely a hundred yards away, he could make out what it was he was seeing. It was an RV sitting there in the middle of the woods, sticking out like a raven in a snowy field.

Jared’s heart thumped in his chest, his mind racing with all the possibilities of what this could mean. It could be abandoned – something someone had used as a hunting camp before the vampocalypse. In that case, it might be the perfect place to settle, hidden deep in the woods undetected where Jared could just live off the land. It could also be on the edge of a town, some small community that would have still been taken over by vamps, and Jared was too close, and about to risk being taken again.

He touched the metal band welded around his wrist. If he was found, even in a different state, the ID number stamped on the band would send him right back where he started. Maybe Mark wouldn’t want him anymore since he was a flight risk, but he’d be back under the thumb of the vampires, sent to a farm or to another vamp as a slave. It was a huge risk, but the hope drove Jared onward. He had to find out one way or another, and if he was careful, he could slip away in the other direction if he had to.

It was almost fully dark by the time Jared reached the edge of the line of trees surrounding the RV. There was a small clearing around the vehicle, just a handful of trees chopped down – Jared could see the stumps littering the ground. And off to the side, almost glowing in the gloaming, was the most welcome thing Jared had seen in weeks. Sticking out of the earth, straight and metallic, was a well pump. A large basin sat beneath it, and Jared’s mind filled in the image of water flowing from the spout, clear and cold.

There was no light anywhere around the clearing, and Jared stood for long minutes watching for any kind of movement. Someone had obviously stayed here at some point – probably since the vamps took over, too, since the forest hadn’t yet taken over the site. But right now, there didn’t appear to be anyone at all, and the one thing Jared needed the most was sitting right there in the open.

Jared wasn’t going to survive without water, so he had to take the risk. He quietly pulled his canteens from his pack, then slowly stepped out from the trees headed toward the pump. When nothing happened, he relaxed slightly, making his way to the water. When he was right in front of it, he could see the basin was half full of water – he should have taken that as a sign of life, but he was too focused on his own needs. He uncapped the first canteen, held it under the spout and lifted the handle.

When he pushed down, the mechanism of the pump groaned and squeaked. It seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet of the woods, but right after it subsided a stream of clear water came out of the spout and Jared focused on keeping the canteen under it.

He was just lifting the half-filled bottle to his mouth when another sound, much louder than the pump’s squeal, echoed in the air and sent a shockwave of fear through Jared’s body – he froze. It was an unmistakable sound – something he’d heard countless times while hunting with his grandfather as a kid, and on TV shows and movies. A shotgun cocking.

The shick-shuck reverberated in Jared’s ears, and he instinctively straightened, raising both hands up and out to his sides. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried to find his voice.

“I… please, I just need water… just a little water and I’ll be on my way.” Jared’s voice shook as he spoke, and he hoped it had been loud enough to be heard – he hadn’t said a word in weeks, and he was hoarse.

Behind him, he heard a footstep, then another, slow, methodical steps coming toward him. Jared raised his hands higher in the air and began to spin himself around to face whoever it was that was about to shoot him.

The man was tall and lean with short, messy hair and a scruffy beard. His eyes were locked on Jared, his brow furrowed so his face looked fierce. He looked Jared up and down, pausing at the blood-soaked sleeve of his sweatshirt, then locked eyes with him.

“You vamp or human?” The man’s voice was gruff and hoarse as if, like Jared, he’d not spoken in a long while. Jared shook his head.

“Human. Running from the vamps.” Jared waved his left hand, drawing attention to the band around his wrist. The man’s eyes darted to the metal then back, his expression not changing.

The man looked Jared up and down again, his eyes pausing at the blood soaking through the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He took a half step backward, his face twisting in a grimace. Staring for a few moments more at Jared, his pack and disheveled appearance – he seemed to be considering.

“Get your water and go.” The man’s voice was no less gruff, even though he was showing a kindness. Jared breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his arms and turned back to the well. He finished filling the first canteen, then quickly swapped out for the other and filled that, too. As he screwed the cap on he turned back around to see the shotgun was still pointed at him, eyes still burning into him.

“Thank you,” Jared said, nodding his appreciation. He turned and headed back toward the trees. He stepped quickly, wanting to get away from the man as fast as possible so he didn’t get shot.

It must have been a mixture of the fading adrenaline rush, relief at having water again, his dehydration and low blood volume, the combination warring in Jared’s body, because suddenly the world began to spin. The edges of his vision blurred and darkened, and suddenly Jared couldn’t tell which way to move his foot, so instead the ground rushed up to meet his face. He felt pain, dull throughout his body and sharp at his shoulder, then everything just faded out.


	5. Chapter Five

Jared woke, confused, his ears ringing and his arm throbbing. He was laying on something soft, a bit lumpy, but definitely not the hard ground, and when he opened his eyes there was a roof overhead. A wave of panic hit him, his brain filling in missing details and supplying him with a story – that he’d been caught by the vamps again and wherever he was, he wasn’t getting out again. He scrambled to sit up and backed up, hitting a wall, his breath coming in quick gasps.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” a deep, soft voice broke through Jared’s panic, and he looked up to see a man coming toward him, one hand outstretched. His memory came flooding back then – the camper in the woods, the well, the man with the shotgun. “You’re okay.”

The man’s eyes were gentle now, not the angry, hard look he’d had before. He’d stopped a foot away from Jared, his arm dropping back to his side as if he was keeping himself from touching. Jared darted his eyes around to take in his surroundings, his brain finally clearing enough to realize he was inside the RV.

“What?” Jared squeaked out the word, but his voice was rough, his throat dry, so he was cut off. The man tilted his head slightly, looking down on Jared with a kind expression. Jared could see in the low lamplight now that his eyes were green.

“You passed out. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“I–” Jared’s voice caught on the dryness in his throat and he started coughing. The man turned and moved the two steps to the kitchen area, grabbing a cup and filling it, then handed it to Jared.

“Here, water.” His small smile was soft, his eyes imploring as he pushed the cup closer. Jared reached out, hands shaking, and took it. He took a sip, the water cool and fresh, soothing as it flowed down his throat. He couldn’t help himself as he gulped the rest down, emptying the cup in seconds. The man was back then, pitcher in hand, refilling the cup. Jared downed that, too, taking a deep, relieved breath as he waited for the man to fill it for the third time.

“Feeling a little better?” he asked, looking at Jared like he was taking inventory of his condition.

“Yes, thank you,” Jared answered, voice finally working, then downed more of the water.

“I’m Jensen. What’s your name?”

“Jared.” He looked around the small camper, nervously searching for the door. “I’m sorry – you don’t need to do this, I’ll just be on my way–”

Jensen jumped up when Jared started to stand and turn for the door. He pushed him back down with a hand to his shoulder.

“You’re in no condition to go back out there. At least let me get you cleaned up, check out that wound.” Jensen gestured to Jared’s blood-soaked arm. Jared followed Jensen’s hand and looked down at his own arm, wrinkling his nose up in a wince.

“It’s bleeding again,” Jared said, staring at the blood. “I fell.”

“And you’re dehydrated, which makes the blood loss worse. You’re in rough shape, kid.”

Jared turned his attention back to Jensen, meeting his eyes for the first time.

“Yeah… I guess I am.”

“So let’s get you fixed up, okay?” Jensen stood and collected a pot of water from the top of the woodstove that was just starting to steam a little. He grabbed a clean rag and dropped it into the water. “Can you get your shirt off?”

Jared nodded, leaned back and tugged the sweatshirt up and off over his head. He looked down at his arm and could see trails of new, fresh blood that had tracked through the layer that was old and dried on his skin. He turned in his seat, offering up his crudely bandaged arm. Jensen pulled a knife from his back pocket to slice through the twine holding the fabric in place, then gently peeled back the soaked material. Grabbing the rag and wringing it out, he wiped gently at the wound, causing Jared to hiss through his teeth. He rinsed the cloth and set it against the wound again.

“Hold this there for a minute, okay?” Jensen said, waiting for Jared’s hand to replace his own before he reached across the table for the lantern, adjusting the wick to light up the small area enough to see what he was dealing with. He turned back to Jared and pulled the rag away again. Jared could see the gash was ragged, oozing blood slowly – definitely in need of more attention than just the makeshift tourniquet and old t-shirt. Jensen seemed to come to the same conclusion. “This is gonna need some stitches, okay?”

Jared nodded and closed his eyes.

“I don’t have anything to numb it, you gonna be okay with that? Don’t want you passing out on me again.” Jensen watched as Jared felt his face drop.

“Maybe…” Jared looked around the small space. “I’ll just lay down while you do it?”

Jensen nodded, and Jared shifted around to lay down on his side, injured arm up, and nodded that he was ready.

Jensen cleaned around the wound more, clearing away the dried blood so he could see the gash more clearly, Jared shutting his eyes tight against the pain.

“Hold on,” Jensen said, uncapping a bottle of rubbing alcohol then pouring it directly into the wound. Jared hissed and fisted his hand in his jeans while the sting peaked then faded. “Good, you’re doing good.”

Jared watched as Jensen sterilized the needle in the flame of the lantern, then wiped the soot clean with the alcohol. He pushed the thread through the eye, then reached toward Jared’s arm, their eyes meeting briefly, Jared nodding to answer the unspoken question – he was ready.

The pain of the needle piercing his skin was considerably less than the burn of the alcohol or the pressure of the rag cleaning away the blood, so Jared just shut his eyes and tried to focus on the texture of the denim he still had gripped between his fingers. About halfway through, Jared could hear Jensen taking in a long, slow breath, and when he opened his eyes, Jensen had his own closed. He figured it must be a pretty gruesome job, stitching skin together, if it wasn’t something you were used to, and Jensen just needed a moment before continuing.

He did continue, pulling the thread through Jared’s skin six more times, a total of twelve stitches closing up the gap in his arm. Jared watched as Jensen tied off the last of them, then trimmed the ends with quick snips of the scissors from the first aid kit. Jensen wiped the surface of Jared’s arm clean again, clearing away the blood that had seeped out during the process, then taped a large square of gauze over the wound. Jared pulled himself up to sitting, feeling himself wobble as he moved.

“Still dizzy?” Jensen asked, watching. Jared nodded. “Okay, let’s at least get some more water into you. I don’t have anything else that’ll help, unfortunately.”

Jensen refilled Jared’s cup with water again, and handed it off as Jared looked around the RV.

“My pack… I have iron pills,” Jared said before guzzling down his water.

“Still outside. I’ll grab it – stay put.” Jensen darted out the door. Jared took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, looking around the small camper. His fear had subsided, and he realized he was relaxing. He felt like he could trust this man, but he wasn’t quite sure what to do now. At the very least, he’d be able to continue on now, maybe find the river again and keep following it north. He was starting to think reaching the border was going to be his only option, after seeing everything Jensen had – the camper, a stove, a well – just to survive in what looked like a fairly meager existence. The door to the camper creaked open again and Jensen stepped through with Jared’s backpack in his hand.  

“Thanks.” Jared nodded when Jensen handed over his belongings and he immediately dug into the bag, pulling out two bottles of pills. Once he’d taken the supplements, swallowing them down with a long drink from his canteen, Jared leaned back against the wall of the RV.

“That’s an odd thing to carry with you when you’re running.” Jensen said, eyeing Jared now with a bit of suspicion.

“My owner – the vamp who had me – made me take them. Helps with anemia.” Jared shrugged. “I guess he thought the faster I rebuilt my blood the more he could drink.”

“You were a blood slave?” Jensen’s eyes widened.

“I ran right after he fed on me. He was blood drunk, passed out. It was my only chance.” Jared ducked his head, eyes lowered to the floor.

“Are they… I mean…” Jensen stumbled over his words, wringing his hands like he was uncomfortable with what he was asking. “Are they after you? Following you?”

Jared shook his head and took another gulp from his canteen.

“The first night, I stopped to rest, crawled into a hollow tree. I woke up and there were three of them in the woods, they’d been tracking me. Heard them say I couldn’t have come that way, and they went back to try to pick up the trail in a different direction. That was almost two weeks ago, and I haven’t heard anything since.”

Jensen let out a breath, relaxing at hearing Jared’s answer.

“Good. That’s good.” Jensen nodded as he stood, refilling the large pot on the stove with water. “Once this is hot I’ll give you some privacy to get washed up. Then we can get some rest. I’ve got some leftover rabbit stew. If you’re hungry, you’re welcome to it.”

Jared nodded, suddenly registering the smell of the stew so his stomach rumbled. Jensen doled out a bowl of the leftover food from the pot on the stove and handed it over. Jared groaned around his spoon with the first bite of the rich stew full of carrots and onions, and he saw Jensen grin in response. While Jared ate, Jensen set about digging out an old blanket and pillow for Jared.

Once he was done eating, the pot of water on the stove was simmering, so Jensen handed off a clean rag and a sliver of soap, then stepped outside the camper. Jared stripped down, dropping the filthy clothes he’d been wearing for nearly two weeks on the floor and began scrubbing the grime from his skin. It felt surreal, being in this tiny space away from the real world, in the presence of another person who, by all appearances, wasn’t about to do him harm. He could feel all the tension he’d been holding in his body for the past weeks – even for the past years – wash away with the dirt. He was starting to feel something close to hope.

 


	6. Chapter Six

Jared was folding up the filthy clothes he’d changed out of, tucking them into his backpack, when Jensen stepped back into the camper, pulling the door closed with a creak.

When Jared flopped back down on the spare bed, zipping the top of his pack and setting it aside, Jensen passed through the small space and sat on the edge of his own bed on the other side of the small room. Jared looked up at him with a small smile.

“I don’t know how to thank you enough, Jensen,” Jared said, ducking his head. “I’m feeling a lot better now.”

“Well,” Jensen shrugged and smirked, looking Jared up and down like he was taking stock, making sure he was feeling better. “I came out here to hold on to my humanity – would be pretty hypocritical if I didn’t help out.”

“I just…” Jared half-smiled, one corner of his mouth turning up. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t stumbled on your camp, so… thanks.”

“I guess it’s kind of good for me, too,” Jensen said, shifting to get a little more comfortable. “I’ve been out here a long time, it’s good to know the world is still out there, y’know?”

Jared huffed a humorless laugh.

“Not much of a world, but yeah, it’s still there.”

“What’s… what’s it like?” Jensen hunched his shoulders, folding in on himself.

“It’s…” Jared sighed, leaned back against the wall. “Not good. Orderly. The vamps obviously had it all planned out and organized. They aren’t turning people anymore, not that I know of, so you either go to a farm or to a vamp as a slave. As far as I know it’s still just the U.S. – but I wasn’t really allowed to watch the news or anything.”

“So, is that where you’re headed? Across the border?”

“I guess.” Jared shrugged. “I don’t even know if Canada will let me in – I have no ID, no money, nothing. I was really just trying to get as far away as possible. I couldn’t… couldn’t live like that anymore.”

Jared could see a sadness in Jensen’s face, mixed with something that looked a bit like guilt.

“I can’t even imagine.” Jensen sighed.

“I was luckier than most. Mark – my owner –” Jared made a quote gesture with the word ‘owner’, his hands shaking with just the memory of the vampire. “He was set on keeping me healthy. Made sure I had plenty to eat, the supplements. I wasn’t allowed to talk to them, but I saw others – they’d just sort of fade over time, then they’d disappear. Another person would be there with the same vamp after a while, traded in for a healthier model.”

Jared toyed with the band around his wrist, and noticed Jensen watching him, his eyes glued to the strip of metal.

“I guess trying for Canada is the best option.” Jared stared off in the distance, out the door. He let out a chuckle. “I have no idea where I am, even. No clue how far I am from the border, how far I’ve gone.”

“Well,” Jensen said, leaning back, relaxing a little. “You’re about smack dab in the middle of North Dakota. Maybe… a hundred and fifty or two hundred miles from the border, something like that.”

Jared’s jaw dropped open. It seemed so far, such an unmanageable distance. His mind raced trying to figure how far he’d come, how long it would take to get to the border. He barely had any food left, and even though he knew he’d have some time before starvation set in and would prevent him from going on, he didn’t know just how long that would be. He had some seeds in his pack, but he wasn’t a gardener, and it was already the middle of summer. He wouldn’t be able to set up a homestead like this in time to survive the winter. His only option now really was to make it to Canada and hope they’d let him in. He looked down at his ID bracelet again. Maybe he would have been better off if he’d just… stayed.

“Is that an ID number?” Jensen asked, gesturing at Jared’s wrist and pulling him from his thoughts. Jared nodded, spinning the band. “Guess it’s a step above number tattoos – at least those come off.”

“Never thought of it like that.” Jared continued to stare at the band, running his fingers over the thin scars on his skin where it had dug in back when it was first put on him. “So… how did you manage to get this camper out here, anyway?”

Jensen grinned, relieved for the subject change.

“It was already out here. I found it years ago when I was out here hiking, all overgrown. Someone must have used it as a hunting cabin, the woodstove was already set up, there’s an outhouse out back. When the vamps… when everything happened, I packed up my truck with supplies, drove as close as I could, then hauled everything here on foot.” Jensen looked down at his hands, his fingers twisting together. Jared sensed there was more to the story, but Jensen didn’t seem like he was ready to tell any more of it.

“I should have… I don’t know, I could have run when I had the chance, but I just…”

“Did you have anywhere to run to? I mean, I knew about this place.” Jensen shrugged. “I imagine it was easier, knowing I had shelter and water already here.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Jared tilted his head, considering. “I’m still not sure where to go.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that tonight, huh?” Jensen smiled, running a hand down through his beard. “Let’s get some rest.”

Jared nodded, then reached for the blanket and unfolded it, his eyes following Jensen as he tossed another log into the woodstove and blew out the flame in the lantern. Jared was laying down, knees tucked up and the blanket pulled tight under his chin when Jensen crawled under his own blanket and wriggled around until he got comfortable.

“Thanks for not shooting me,” Jared’s voice came from the darkness of the camper, sounding half asleep already.

Jensen let out a single bark of a laugh.

“You’re welcome. G’night.”

_Four hands latched on to Jared’s arms, fingers digging into his flesh so tight it felt like they’d break the skin. He tried to dig his heels in, but they were too strong, they dragged him forward. They pushed him ahead after kicking open a door, the sound of it hitting the wall ricocheting through Jared’s head. Two hands pushed him away, forcing him to lose his balance and land on his knees in a heap. He looked up to see a snarling grin on a familiar face. Mark._

_“No… please.” Jared scrambled backward, but hit a wall. “I… I’m sorry… please….”_

_Mark stepped forward, chuckling at Jared’s fear. He grabbed a handful of Jared’s hair, tugging his head back to force him to look up._

_“Thought you could run away, huh?” Mark’s eyes darkened. He pulled Jared up by his hair, forcing him to stand, then spun him around and pushed him flat against the wall. “Time you learned what happens to unappreciative slaves who think they can fool me and get away.”_

_Jared closed his eyes, bracing himself._

_The hit came, hard wood cracking against the back of his thighs. His voice rang out, a pained cry cut off when his throat strangled a groan, inhaled a shaky breath, then exhaled with another cry. The sequence repeated, growing in intensity but falling into a cadence, evenly timed. Jared’s whole body was shaking…._

“–ared?” A distant voice filtered into Jared’s mind.

_Another crack, pain searing through his backside and lower back. Jared tried to hold back a scream, but it came out anyway._

“–okay, just a–” Jared whimpered, but felt the ghost of a hand on his shoulder. “– dream.”

_The hits came faster, erratic, the edge of the wooden paddle digging into his skin._

“Jared wake up,” that distant voice, louder, closer, the hand shaking him. “You’re okay.”

Jared stilled, a whimper coming out with a long exhale, and he peeled his eyes open, the nightmare fading along with the pain. Jensen stood there, slowly rubbing his hand on Jared’s shoulder while he started to relax.  

Then the trembling set in, worked its way out from the center of Jared’s body, vibrating out to his limbs. Jensen sighed as he tugged the blanket back up over Jared’s shoulder from where it had pooled around his ribs – he must have been thrashing. Jensen stood there, watching him, concern pulling his brows together. Jared took in a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

“You okay?” Jensen asked, squatting down so he was at eye level with Jared. “Must have been a hell of a nightmare.”

“Yeah. S’okay.” Jared tugged the blanket tighter around him, trying to stave off the trembling that wasn’t from being cold. “Sorry I woke you.”

Jensen crossed to the closet, opened the door and pulled out another blanket. He spread it out over Jared.

“It’s alright. Just try to get some more rest, okay?”

Jared nodded.

Jensen went back to his bed, blew out the candle he’d lit and burrowed under his own covers, his eyes slipping closed.

It took a few minutes for Jared to calm himself enough to close his eyes again. There was something about Jensen that made him feel safe, but Jared was wary of trusting it. He let himself imagine living here with Jensen for a little while, helping him with the chores around the small homestead, sharing their lives without fear of being taken by vampires. He knew it wouldn’t happen, that he’d be on his way in the morning, back into the woods to fight his way out of the country. But it was a soothing thought, and it helped him relax enough to drift back to sleep and turn his nightmares into happy dreams of living in the forest.


	7. Chapter Seven

Jared woke, inhaling deeply before even opening his eyes. The warm scent of cooking food enveloped him, and for a few moments, he felt like he was home, still a kid, and his mom was cooking breakfast on a Sunday morning.

The dull ache in his arm brought him back, and he was flooded with the memory of the forest, walking for weeks, and finally Jensen, who had stitched him up, fed him, and gave him a warm bed last night. Aside from how he got here, it wasn’t such a bad realization.

Finally peeling his eyes open, Jared saw Jensen standing at the woodstove poking at something in a cast iron pan. He yawned, stretched his arms above his head, then sat up, letting the blankets pool around his hips. His movement caught Jensen’s attention and he turned, smiling.

“Morning,” Jensen said. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did – better than I have in a long time.” Jared stood, stretching his arms behind his back to work out the kinks. “Thanks.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. Outhouse is back behind the camper if you need it – about fifty yards into the woods.”

Jared nodded, yawned again as he stuffed his feet into his shoes and stepped outside. He paused to look around, taking in the small campsite now that it was daylight – and he wasn’t about to pass out. There was the well pump that had drawn him in, and past that, a garden lush with plants. He could see the red of tomatoes, green peppers, and some yellow squash low on the ground. On the other side was a pile of split wood, a chopping block with an axe sticking out of it, and various tools and baskets leaned against or stacked up by the trailer. He rounded the camper toward the back to find off to the left another garden patch with rows of corn nearly as tall as he was, and stacked up against the trailer were three foot lengths of log waiting to be cut down and split, with a wheeled cart sitting beside them. It all seemed perfectly ordered and simple – hard work, obviously, but a good life anyway.

After finding the outhouse, Jared stepped back into the camper to find Jensen had converted his bed back into a table, and had two plates set out along with two steaming mugs. Jensen looked up at Jared and grinned.

“Hungry?”

“Yes, thank you,” Jared said, pausing for just a moment before sliding into one of the bench seats. He felt awkward, almost like a helpless child, and wanted desperately to do or say something to let Jensen know how much he appreciated everything he’d done for Jared since the previous night. He didn’t know what to say, so he just smiled and hoped it didn’t look as awkward as it felt. “This smells amazing.”

“It’s corn fritters fried in rabbit fat, some fresh salsa. And mint tea – it’s not coffee, but still a good way to start the day.” Jensen smiled as he picked up his fork and dug into the meal.

Jared picked up his own fork, loaded it with a chunk of the hot corn cake and a bit of the salsa. When he started chewing and the flavors exploded in his mouth, he almost let out a moan.

“Holy crap!” Jared said after swallowing down his first bite. “That is so good. I can’t believe you can make something like this just from a garden.”

Jensen smiled and shrugged.

“I was a chef, before. Food is kind of my thing,” he said, then took another bite.

“Guess I picked the right place to take a rest,” Jared said, grinning over at Jensen.

“About that…” Jensen set his fork down on his plate with a quiet clank. “I was thinking last night… what if you stayed?”

Jared paused mid-chew and looked up at Jensen, who was staring right back at him. He took a moment to swallow his bite of food before opening his mouth to speak again.

“Here? With you?”

“Yeah,” Jensen said, ducking his head. “I mean, there’s plenty of room, it’d be nice to have some help with all the work. We can expand the garden a little and there’ll be enough food for both of us. It’s relatively safe, and… I don’t know, I just feel like I want to give you a chance. We don’t know each other, obviously, but something tells me we’re going to get along just fine. You’ve been through enough already. And, honestly… it’d be nice to have someone to talk to.”

Jensen’s words had come out all in a rush, but it was the last bit that really caught Jared – he was lonely. Jensen had been out here for two years without another soul. He’d just been surviving, much the same as Jared had been surviving his time enslaved. Maybe the two of them, together, could actually start living.

“Okay,” Jared said.

After breakfast was cleaned up – Jared insisted on washing the dishes just to feel useful – Jensen took Jared around outside to show him where everything was. Not that there was much, most of it Jared had noticed when he looked around the yard first thing that morning, but Jensen went through all the vegetables he had growing, explained how he made cornmeal and corn flour from his seemingly large-for-one-person crop of corn.

Back inside, Jensen showed Jared where everything was, how he managed everything without running water, where he stored food and supplies. There was a lot packed into the small space, but it was a good, simple system.

“So, it’s a lot of work living like this. But definitely better than living with the vamps,” Jensen said after the tour. “What do you think?”

Jared cleared his throat as he sat at the table, joining Jensen.

“I think I’ve got a lot to learn, but I can do it.” Jared folded his hands together in front of him, one thumb scraping at his cuticle. “I feel like… I don’t know, I don’t have anything, really, but I feel like I should offer you something. In exchange for being… well, kind of awesome.”

Jensen chuckled, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

“Trust me, you’ll earn your keep.”

“I know, but…” Jared suddenly remembered, felt his eyebrows raise up as his eyes widened, and reached over into the corner for his pack. “I almost forgot, I have some seeds.”

He could feel Jensen’s eyes on him as he dug through the backpack, finally coming up with about a dozen packets of vegetable seeds. He spread them out on the table, and Jensen flipped through them.

“I’m not sure what I was even thinking, I’ve never grown anything. It just seemed like something I needed to have.”

“Jared?” Jensen said, looking up with a couple seed packets clutched between his fingers. Jared looked up and met his gaze. “You’re awesome!”

“Wha–” Jared was confused at the giddy expression on Jensen’s face.

“Melon? Broccoli? Mustard greens? Dude, this is great! I went for vegetables I could store or preserve and I am so tired of the same old stuff.” Jensen picked up a packet and turned the label to face Jared. “Chili peppers? Do you know how much I can do with some spicy peppers at my disposal? This is amazing!”

Jensen was practically bouncing in his seat, and Jared smiled, relieved that what he’d half-blindly grabbed – shoplifted, more precisely, while Mark was busy talking to the shop owner – was actually useful to Jensen now. He knew he never would have gotten half of the stuff to grow, but Jensen was obviously good at what he did, judging from the lush plot of vegetables outside. Jared turned back to his pack, and started pulling out a few other things.

“It’s not much, but I guess I can add the rest of this stuff to the mix, too,” he said, dropping the few small tools he had on the table.

“Honestly, all of this is just bonus,” Jensen said, still toying with a seed packet. “Your help with the work, and your company, are more than enough for you to earn your keep. I mean it.”

Jared ducked his head.

“Thanks, Jensen.”

 


	8. Chapter Eight

As the weeks passed, Jared settled in. It was a lot of physical work – the first week Jared spent sore and aching – but it was worth it every time Jensen remarked on how quickly things were getting done or how much he enjoyed the extra time to relax in the evenings – Jared felt better and better about his contribution, and less like he was taking charity from someone with too good a heart to tell him no.  

It was a bright, warm day, and they were both outside. Jensen was working on a pile of dried corn, pulling the kernels from the cobs in preparation for making cornmeal. Jared was off to the side of the yard, pulling weeds in the garden.

They’d been quiet for an hour or so, both of them absorbed in their work and comfortable enough in each other’s presence by this point that they often worked in silence, leaving conversation for the evenings after dark when there wasn’t much else they could do.

Jared stood up straight in the middle of the carrots to stretch, reaching his arms up above his head to work out the kinks in his back. He noticed Jensen looking up at him from the stool he was perched on, shifting a little as he sat. Jensen licked his lips, his eyes looking a little dark as they drifted down to where Jared’s shirt had ridden up, the warm breeze hitting his bare skin.

Jared had caught Jensen staring a few times, and the expression on his face was unmistakable. It’d been a long time since anyone had looked at Jared with with a hunger that wasn’t related to the blood pumping through his veins. It felt good.

And it wasn’t like Jared couldn’t appreciate the person behind the looks, either. He really liked Jensen – he was kind and funny, and they never had trouble coming up with conversation. It was always easy between them and Jared thought if things had been different, if they’d met before, in a bar, they would have hit it off. Not to mention Jensen was slender and fit, with a face that could have graced any magazine cover. Jared had had more than one fantasy about things going further than heated looks across the vegetable garden.

But Jared wasn’t brave enough to make a move outside of maybe letting his stretch linger longer than was really necessary. Jensen was his saving grace – he’d probably be dead and rotting on the forest floor if he hadn’t taken Jared in and patched him up that night. So it was a risk he wasn’t sure he was willing to take – if he was reading those looks wrong and he tried to take things further, it could mean getting tossed back into the woods to fend for himself.

Jared dropped his arms to his waist and twisted from one side to the other, letting his gaze land on Jensen again, who was still watching.

“Do I have dirt on my face or something? A bug in my teeth?” Jared asked, grinning and swiping at his cheeks. The tips of Jensen’s ears flushed pink as he jolted out of whatever thoughts were taking over his brain.

“Sorry… just daydreaming.” Jensen shrugged and went back to the ear of corn in his hand.

“No shit… you were a million miles away, dude.” Jared chuckled, then turned back to the garden, wiping sweat from the back of his neck before bending back down to work, grinning.

“Jared.” The quiet voice was far away, just barely punching through to his conscious mind. It faded as soon as it came, just a blip of calm peeking through the terror, then he was crying again, his whole body wracked with sobs, helpless and hurt and he couldn’t move….  

A hand shook Jared’s shoulder again, a little harder than the first time.

“Jared, wake up.”

A whine pushed out of Jared’s throat, and he recognized it as real, not part of the dream. He felt the sobs behind it, but was able to keep them back in the dream as he opened his eyes, squinting in the dim light.

“Hey, hey – you’re okay, Jared.” Jensen put a little more pressure into the circles he was rubbing into Jared’s back. “It was a nightmare, you’re safe.”

Jensen’s voice finally registered, and Jared turned to face him, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Just a dream?” Jared’s voice was small and sleep-rough, his mind still fuzzy, straddling dream and waking.

“Yeah, buddy. Just a dream.”

Jared let out a long sigh, his eyes drifting closed as he let everything drain from him.

“Sorry,” Jared mumbled.

“No, no – it’s okay. You went through a lot with those vamps, it’s perfectly normal. Guess your brain is still processing everything.” Jensen continued rubbing his back and Jared slowly, in tiny increments, relaxed, the trembling slowing. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jared took in a deep breath, pushed it out slowly, controlled, willing his body to calm.

“It was… the vamps, they came here. They grabbed me first, drank from me till I couldn’t stand, couldn’t move. Then they grabbed you, and they didn’t just drink from you, they were taking bites out of you, lapping up the blood and chewing on your flesh. They left me on the floor, I couldn’t move, all I could do was watch. They just… you were fighting them, and at some point you changed, you were a vampire, too, but they consumed you, bones and all – all while I watched and I couldn’t do anything. When they were done, they started talking like I wasn’t even there – about whether they should eat me, too, but they decided I was too used up to be any good, said I’d been drank from too many times and it soured the meat. I was worthless, so they just left, just left me there without you, and I wasn’t going to die but I couldn’t move…”

Jared took in a shaky breath, a few new tears slipping down his cheek.

“Jared, my god,” Jensen said, looking like he was about to reach out, tug Jared into his arms. “That’s terrifying.”

“I’m sorry,” Jared said, sniffling and swiping the tears off his face. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m okay – you can go back to sleep, I’ll be fine.”

“It’s fine, Jared, really.” Jensen gave Jared’s back one last rub, then hesitantly took his hand away. “To be honest, you’ve been having nightmares every night. It’s just that you usually settle back to sleep without me having to wake you.”

“What? Jensen…” Jared pulled himself up to sitting, wrapping his arms around his chest. He knew Jensen had woken him from nightmares a couple times, but Jared didn’t know it’d been nightly. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have–”

“Could have what? Stopped yourself from dreaming? Slept outside?” Jensen smiled softly. “Seriously, after what you went through, I’m surprised you don’t have worse problems. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to stay.”

Jared sighed. He ducked his head, feeling miserable, embarrassed. He reached up and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, took a shuddering breath, then broke down. He couldn’t hold it back, the sobs just came out, tears streaming down his face.

“Hey, hey…” Jensen reached out for Jared as if by instinct. “C’mere.”

Jensen wrapped his arms around Jared’s shoulders and pulled him into his chest, and a few seconds later Jared was sliding his arms around Jensen, his head settling on his shoulder. He clung there, crying against the man who’d saved him from the life of terror that was still trying to hang on through his dreams. He cried until his chest hurt and he was hiccoughing.

And Jensen just held Jared, rubbing his back and stroking his hair alternately, not saying anything – because there was nothing _to_ say – letting him cry and get everything out. When Jared finally calmed, releasing his grip and pulling back while wiping at his eyes and runny nose, he gave Jensen a small smile.

“Sorry. I really am okay now.”

“Think you can sleep more? I can sit up with you, if you want,” Jensen said.

“No, I’m okay. I should sleep. We’ve got work to do in the morning.”

Jared shifted to lay back down, and Jensen hesitated a few moments, as though he didn’t really want to leave Jared’s side. But he did, standing and making his way across the room to his own bed. Jared took a few slow, deep breaths and closed his eyes, the warmth of Jensen’s body still clinging to his skin and soothing him back to sleep.

Jared was dripping with sweat. It was late summer, the sun blazing, the humidity nearly choking. He pulled his shirt off over his head, wiped the sweat from his face and neck with it before tucking it in the back pocket of his jeans, then hefted the axe again. He swung and brought the axe down into the center of the upturned log, hitting it near the center with a loud crack and splitting it halfway. He’d gotten pretty good at splitting firewood over the past weeks, a skill he’d never learned from his city-dwelling life but picked up easily enough. He found he enjoyed it the same way he used to enjoy weight lifting in the gym – it felt good to challenge his body, and his sore muscles at the end of the day gave him a sense of accomplishment.

He’d stopped to wipe the sweat from his face again when a scuffle in the dirt caught his attention. He looked up to find Jensen standing there, his mouth slightly agape. Jared acted quickly to take advantage of the moment – he’d been looking for an opportunity to test his theory, to really see if Jensen’s looks were attraction or not. He made a show of dragging the t-shirt in his hand around the back of his neck, then down his chest and across his abs, mopping up all the sweat.

“Where did you run off to?” Jared asked, tucking the shirt back in his pocket, then leaning on the axe handle that was sticking out of the chopping block, flexing his pecs.

“Oh, umm…” Jensen swallowed thickly, Jared could see his throat work, then his eyes close slowly like he was trying to clear the image of Jared from his mind so words would come out his mouth. “Just went for a walk.”

Jared watched Jensen’s face switch from obvious arousal to something he couldn’t quite place. It was a mix of guilt, maybe, and fear. Jared had noticed early on that Jensen would disappear for a short time, almost daily. He’d asked Jensen where he went a few times now, but he either dodged the question or gave a non-committal answer like he ‘went for a walk’ or was ‘just wandering’. It was always with that same look of shame. He’d thought maybe Jensen was just heading out into the woods to jerk off – he came back with more color in his face, his steps a little lighter. It was the only logical explanation Jared could think of, but the way Jensen dodged his questions about it didn’t track. Maybe he was really shy about sex, and they certainly didn’t have any privacy in their small camp. Something about it just felt off to Jared.

Jensen turned on his heel and headed into the camper, and while it nagged at Jared, he decided to let it slide. Jared knew he didn’t need to worry – after all this time together, Jensen had only ever been kind to him. Jared picked up the axe and went back to work.

Two nights later, Jared woke from another nightmare, covered in sweat, his breathing rapid, his whole body shaking. He lay there trying to calm himself for a few minutes, looking across the room to try to see Jensen in the barely-there light seeping from the fire in the woodstove. He could make out the shape of him, just a lump in the dark, but he was overwhelmed with the need to be sure – sure it was Jensen, not some monster. He couldn’t shake the feeling, so he got up and crept across the camper to Jensen’s bed. He stood there for a minute, but it wasn’t enough, so he sat, slowly and gently, on the edge of the mattress.

“Hey… you okay?” Jensen mumbled, still half-asleep as he lifted himself up on one elbow. Jared nodded slowly, trying to make out the features of Jensen’s face in the low light. He took in a long, slow breath and pushed it back out just as slowly. “Another nightmare?”

“Yeah,” Jared said, barely more than a whisper. “I just… needed… I needed to know you’re here.”

“I’m right here, Jared. You’re safe.” Jensen lifted his hand, pressing it to the small of Jared’s back. Jared was still trembling, enough that he was sure Jensen could feel it, but the light pressure of his hand was soothing and it started to slow. “Hey, why don’t you sleep over here? There’s plenty of room.”

Jared snapped his head up to face Jensen, shocked, but there was no hesitancy in the expression on Jensen’s face.

“You… that might really help, you don’t mind?” Jared’s voice sounded timid to his own ears.

“Not at all.” Jensen shifted closer to the edge of the bed and pulled the blankets back in invitation. “You can even have the inside, that’ll probably feel safer.”

Jared said nothing, but climbed over Jensen’s legs and laid down. After a little shifting and tugging, they both got situated, both of them rolling to their sides facing the wall with the blankets spread over them. Jared tucked one foot backward, so it was just barely touching Jensen’s – a tiny bit of physical contact that he felt confident in taking for himself. Jared sighed and his breathing slowed. It wasn’t long before he slid back to sleep, warm and comfortable, with no more disturbances through the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter Nine

Jared woke disoriented. The small room of the camper was reversed, instead of opening his eyes to see Jensen’s bed on the opposite side, he saw his own. As the foggy memory of crawling into bed with Jensen in the middle of the night returned, he was confused again, because Jensen wasn’t there – the other side of the bed was cold, empty.

When he looked up at the window and saw how bright the sun was, he realized he’d just slept late, and Jensen had not. He was probably out tending the garden already. Looking around the camper, he saw a plate sitting on the stove, another plate upturned over it – Jensen had left him breakfast there, keeping it warm. A mug sat next to the plate, steaming just a bit.

Jared got out of bed and plucked the cup from the stove, the mint tea he’d grown fond of still hot. He took it with him back to the bed, sipping from it after nestling himself back into the covers.

He remembered his first days here, forcing himself to be constantly on the move, working as much as he could, determined to earn his place here. Now he realized he’d still been in the mindset he’d learned when he was Mark’s slave. He needed to do everything, and do it right, to avoid a negative consequence. With Mark that consequence would have been being beaten. With Jensen, Jared had convinced himself it would have been getting thrown back out into the wilderness. The home Jensen had offered was so valuable to Jared, he couldn’t risk losing it.

Now, though, Jared didn’t have that guilt as he sat, mid-morning, hours after Jensen had probably started working, lazing in bed and sipping his tea. Jensen would have woken him if he’d needed help, and honestly, it would probably make Jensen happy to know how well Jared slept.

With his tea half gone, Jared dragged himself from the bed, took his still-hot breakfast to the table and sat down to eat. He glanced out the window to see if Jensen was anywhere around, but didn’t see him.

It seemed funny to him, how even living in such close quarters, Jared still looked forward to seeing Jensen. He missed him for those brief times they weren’t together. He wondered if Jensen felt the same.

He’d still notice Jensen looking at him, catch him watching as he worked, or see the soft look in his eyes when he made Jared laugh. Jared was pretty sure he knew what it meant, what Jensen was feeling – he just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

In all the evenings they’d spent talking, playing cards with their beat up deck missing the two of clubs, they had never talked about relationships, or sex. Jared had no idea if Jensen was gay, or how to let him know he was. It used to be such an easy thing – he could come out to someone, and either they accepted it or they didn’t. There were enough people in Jared’s life that losing someone who couldn’t handle his sexuality wasn’t a huge deal. It sucked, sure, especially if it was someone Jared really enjoyed spending time with. But there wasn’t a big consequence.

Now, though, if Jensen was unaccepting, that could be it for Jared. His home could be gone, he could be thrust back into the forest to find his own way, try to head for Canada to be free of the vampires. It was a huge risk.

And even if Jensen was accepting, but just not interested – it could make things awkward. Jared could say ‘hey, I’m gay, and I think you’ve been checking me out’ but if Jensen _wasn’t_ checking him out, well – it could change things between them, and Jared really liked how things were.

It had been years since he was close to someone, and having that with Jensen made a huge difference. They enjoyed each others’ company, Jared got some much needed comfort from Jensen, and Jared was pretty sure Jensen was grateful to have Jared around after being in solitude for so long. It was a good situation, and as much as he wanted to, it was a tough choice whether or not to risk disrupting that. If Jared was being truly honest, he wanted more with Jensen – he’d been falling hard for him, and he ached to be able to wrap his arms around him, to kiss him.

Finished with his meal, Jared took his dishes to the sink to wash. Jensen had left his own breakfast dishes soaking in hot, soapy water, so Jared just added his and cleaned them all. As he was drying them, he made a decision. He’d be blunt. Ask Jensen if what he was feeling from him was true, if he wanted more. If he was gentle about it, it didn’t have to end up awkward. It may have been years since he’d been in a situation where sex was an option, but he was pretty confident he wasn’t misreading things. He’d just go for it.

After draining the dirty dishwater into the bucket under the sink, Jared stepped out of the camper to dump it back in the woods. Jensen was nowhere to be seen, so Jared figured he’d gone off on one of his walks again. He considered waiting for him to get back, but he knew he’d lose his nerve, so he set out past the tree line. He took the small path that led to the outhouse, and then stopped to listen. He couldn’t hear anything, so he continued on walking deeper into the woods, stopping every few hundred yards to listen for Jensen.

After ten minutes or so, he finally heard a rustle that wasn’t just a chipmunk scurrying in the dead leaves, and headed toward the sound. Fifty yards ahead he heard another, louder shuffling of leaves and saw Jensen just up ahead, crouched down next to a briar bush.

Jared took a deep breath, pushed his shoulders back, and headed toward him. He was just a few feet away when he called out.

“Hey, Jens–” Jared’s voice caught in his throat like a knife pierced his neck when Jensen turned around, eyes wide and terrified. His hands dropped from his mouth, in them a rabbit, dangling, ears and legs drooping, dead. Jared’s eyes darted from Jensen’s hands up to his face to see his mouth ringed in red – blood – and his fangs just visible past his slightly open lips.

A wave of panic filled Jared, flowing out from the center of his back to his limbs, his hands trembling and his heart pounding in his chest. Jensen didn’t move, frozen, staring at Jared with his eyes saucer-wide. The rabbit slipped from his hands to land on the ground with a soft thud.

Jared’s ears started ringing as his mind raced, frozen with fear but wanting desperately to turn and run. A vampire. All this time, Jensen… he was a vampire. But why? Why didn’t he know? How could Jensen hide something like that? The walks. All the times Jensen had disappeared into the woods, he was going off to feed.

Tears sprang to Jared’s eyes. Just minutes ago he’d been convinced he was falling in love with this man… this monster. He couldn’t stay here, he had to run, get away, but where? He had absolutely nothing, there was no way he could survive out here long enough to make the trek to the border. He’d die. But he’d die anyway, Jensen would eventually feed on him, it was a vampire’s nature. They craved blood. Not just animal blood, _human_ blood – and Jared was a fresh source – nevermind that all this time Jensen had never tried, had successfully hidden this from him. Logic was being overridden by fear, fight-or-flight flooding Jared’s body.

Jared refocused his eyes, looking at Jensen again. There were tears in his eyes, too, a look of panic on his face. Why? Why would Jensen do this? Why would he wait so long to feed on Jared? A shiver ran up his spine that seemed to unlock Jared’s limbs. He turned and ran, one foot in front of the other pounding onto the ground, his breath loud in his ears.

“Jared!” Jensen called after him, panic in his voice. “Wait! Please!”

There was no way Jared was waiting. There was nothing Jensen could say to make this right. Jared kept running, realizing he was headed back to the camper. He made a plan, remembering with each stride where his backpack was stored, his extra clothes, calculating how much time he’d have before Jensen would catch up to him, how much he could grab before taking off into the woods again. He couldn’t go with nothing. He had to try. He had to run.

Jared felt crazed as he burst through the door of the RV, dove for the storage cabinet his things were stashed in and started filling his backpack. He made a whirlwind pass through the camper, the mental list he’d made getting checked off in just a couple minutes before he was bolting out the door again, the metal slamming against the wall with a loud crack. He should have stopped to fill his canteens, but he was so panicked he couldn’t risk it. He took off past the tree line, in the same direction he’d come from all those weeks ago when he’d first found the camp, blood rushing in his ears, he chest burning from exertion as his feet carried him away on autopilot.

It wasn’t long before he heard the crashing of branches behind him, Jensen moving just as fast as Jared was, trying to catch him. Jared heard him calling out, yelling his name, pleading for him to stop, to listen, to let him explain. Jared pressed on.

He’d run more than a mile, the adrenaline settling in and driving him on while a sense of devastation moved in and forced tears into his eyes. He wiped at them, frustrated, clearing his vision. Jensen’s shouts kept growing louder, closer. Jared desperately wanted to stop, just for a minute, just to catch his breath, but he couldn’t. His worst nightmare was happening, right now, the monster he’d been living with like a chump was closing in. He had to keep going.

But the tears kept coming, clouding his vision, and he didn’t see the tree root. His foot caught on it, propelling him forward to land on the ground, the thud of his body hitting the layer of leaves pushing his remaining breath from his lungs, stunning him. It only took ten seconds for him to be able to breath again, to start to scramble to his feet, but it was just enough time for Jensen to catch up to him. He was barely to his knees before the arms that had comforted him so easily such a short time ago were pinning him down. Jensen dropped his body on top of Jared, hands on his shoulders, knees pressing down on his hips, trapping him.

“Please, Jared,” Jensen said, his voice desperate, his face streaked with tears. “Please, please just listen.”

Jared tried to pull away, pushing his shoulders up to dislodge Jensen’s hand, flailing his legs, thrusting his hips with all his strength to break free but Jensen was too strong. Of course he was too strong. He was a monster, a vampire, the very thing Jared had run from. The very thing Jared had never been able to run from. Even from the very start, Jared couldn’t get away, couldn’t run. He’d sat in his apartment watching it all unfold, he played the part of the submissive slave, and now, he just deflated. All his strength and fight drained into the earth below him. He’d never escape.

Jensen’s eyes bore into him as he settled, his hands loosening their hold so his palms were no longer digging into Jared’s skin. Jared closed his eyes, didn’t want to see the look in Jensen’s, because there was still care and concern and that just didn’t fit. He was a monster and there was no way Jensen could be the Jensen Jared had known. It wasn’t possible.

“Jared…” Jensen’s voice was quieter, softer now. Jared clenched his eyes tighter, more tears squeezing out and trickling down his temples. “I’m not like them, Jared. Please. Please trust me. I’d never hurt you, I’m not like them.”

“You’re a vampire… how could you–” A sob choked Jared’s words.

“I’m not like them, Jared. Not for centuries.” Jensen’s voice cracked, and Jared let his eyes open to see the tears streaming down his cheeks. “That’s why I live out here. Please, Jared…”

Jared was silent for a few minutes, staring up at Jensen just watching him cry. He didn’t even know vampires were capable of crying. As his panic started to wane, he grew more and more confused.

“How…?” Jared croaked the word out, and Jensen’s eyes fell shut with a sigh, relief deflating all the tension from his body.

“Can I explain? Please?” Jensen asked, his eyes imploring.

Jared nodded, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Jensen rolled off Jared’s body and sat on the ground. Jared pulled himself up, crossing his legs in front of him as he faced Jensen.

“I was turned over two hundred and fifty years ago. Back then, you stuck with your maker. There weren’t any stories, no one knew about vampires. You had to learn how to survive from the one who made you. He told me I had to kill, said that was the only way I’d survive. Said I needed to drain humans or I’d change – I wouldn’t die, but I’d wish I could if I didn’t feed on them. But I couldn’t do it. Finally one night, truly desperate, I gave in. I caught a girl – she couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen. As soon as I bit into her she started crying. She didn’t struggle, she just cried, begged me to let her go. I couldn’t take it, it just broke my heart, so I did. I let her go. I’d only drank a small amount from her, barely enough to make her dizzy. She took off, ran away sobbing.

“But I learned that night that _some_ was enough. I didn’t need to drain a human completely, like my maker said. I didn’t need to kill to survive. So I didn’t. I’ve never known what was different about me, what let me keep my humanity – maybe that I couldn’t face the thought of feeding that way even from the start, maybe I just never got the full taste for it. But I decided it was better that way. I didn’t want to be a monster.

“So I fed like that, taking just enough to live, never enough to harm. Eventually I couldn’t take even that, it scared people too much and I hated to do it. Out of desperation, I tried animals, and found it was enough. It doesn’t matter what blood I drink, just as long as I get some.

“The craving is always there though, for human blood. It’s different. Better. And I can resist it – I have for centuries. But as time passed and vampires started to turn up in books and movies, people were fascinated, and sometimes I’d be able to get them to offer it to me. Once the lore became popular there were underground places I could go, people _wanted_ to be fed from. I never took from anyone unwilling again. If I couldn’t find someone, animals always sufficed.

“Jared, please believe me. I’m different. I will never hurt you. I promise.”

Jared stared at his hands in his lap, Jensen’s words spiralling around in his head. He was still terrified, but at the same time, he was immensely relieved. He hadn’t been wrong about Jensen after all, everything he’d seen and felt from him was true and real. But none of it changed the fact that he was still a vampire, and everything Jared knew about them….

“Why don’t the others know? Why can’t they do what you do?”

Jensen sighed.

“I tried. So many times I tried. I explained it to other vamps, showed them how I fed, how I felt after. A couple tried, but… I don’t know if I’m the only one like this, or what it is. They could never do it. Or they didn’t want to. After a while I stopped trying, didn’t have much contact with anyone else. I just lived my life, went from being a farmer to a veterinarian, eventually a chef, just living like any other human working and feeding the best I could without anyone finding out. A few times I’d meet someone. I’ve been in love a few times over the years. They always grow old, die, and I’d have to move on. And then Sheppard. I just couldn’t watch it happen. It just felt so wrong to me. So I came out here.

“And then you came. Jared, I’ve been so happy with you here. I love… I love having you with me. I wish I could take away everything those bastards did to you. I wish I could prove to you that I’ll never hurt you.”

Jared heard Jensen sniffle, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up at him. He wanted to believe Jensen. He could hear it in his voice, the caring, the fear of losing Jared. But he just couldn’t make the two ideas exist logically together – Jensen did care, but Jensen was a vampire, too. Jensen sighed and stood up.

“I’m going to go back to the camper. I’d really like it if you’d come back, too, but I’ll understand if you don’t. But I know you need to think, so I’ll leave you alone.”

With that, Jensen stepped away, walking slowly between the trees. Jared watched until he couldn’t see him anymore, then flopped back on the ground and stared at the sky through the canopy of leaves.


	10. Chapter Ten

It was nearly dark before Jared made it back to the camper. As he walked across the clearing, he could see the glow of the lantern inside, casting its warm yellow light through the small space. It had only been a short time, but Jared already considered this place home. He didn’t want to lose it, but he was still having a hard time reconciling the two sides of Jensen. His choices were to figure out how to live with the fact that the man he’d come to trust and  – yes, if he’s being honest – love was actually the one thing he feared most in this world, or go back to where he started, alone, afraid and running just to survive.

Jared knew which option he prefered, of course, but he just needed a thread of trust to cling to, something to counteract the fear. He needed to talk to Jensen more.

He walked up the steps to the door and pushed it open to see Jensen sitting at the table, elbows bent, his chin resting in his hands. As soon as he stepped inside, Jensen turned, his back straightening, his eyes widening with hope. Jared could see they were puffy and red rimmed – Jensen had been crying.

“Hi,” Jensen said, his voice just a croak. Jared let his backpack fall to the floor with a thud, then leaned against the wall next to the door. Jensen cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Jared.”

Jared let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping. He closed his eyes for a moment before pushing off the wall to sit across the table from Jensen.

“I need to know why,” Jared said, his hands folded in front of him, fingers twining together. “Why did you let me believe you were human?”

“Because you never would have stayed. You might have even tried to kill me. Because I didn’t want you to fear me.” Jensen’s head was lowered, eyes focused on Jared’s hands, watching his fingers play against each other. “I was going to tell you. I promise, I was. I just wanted to wait until you weren’t so afraid. Until the nightmares calmed down, and you weren’t terrified every time you talked about what’s happening out there.”

Jared let his words sink in for a few moments. It all sounded like Jensen – like the Jensen he’d come to know.

“Why live out here by yourself? I mean, I get that you don’t like what the other vampires have done, but – you could still live a normal life, right? They wouldn’t make you take a slave, would they?”

Jensen sighed, his breath shaky.

“They would. Sheppard, he’s a dictator. If I didn’t play by his rules, he’d have me imprisoned, or executed. One vampire living differently is a threat to what he wants. It could be the seed for rebellion, not that any of the other vamps would ever follow my lead, but that’s how Sheppard would see it. I really didn't have a choice. I couldn’t live how he would have made me. I just couldn’t.”

Jared was quiet. His gut was telling him it was okay, he could trust what Jensen was telling him. But the part of his brain that had been soaked in fear for so long was begging him to flee. If he could know that fear would subside, if eventually the trust in Jensen that had grown over the time he’d spent with him would win the battle in his mind, he’d decide, right there and then, that he’d stay.

“Please, Jared,” Jensen whispered. “Please believe me. I will never hurt you.”

“How many times have you gotten out of bed to calm me from nightmares?”

Jensen’s head snapped up at the question, and Jared met his eyes, saw the flicker of hope in them.

“Almost every night since you got here. Sometimes a couple times a night, but they’re starting to happen a little less now.”

“Why do you do it?”

“Because I care. I hate seeing you afraid. I hate what they did to you. You being here… it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

“As a friend? Or more?”

Jensen’s face flushed and he lowered his head again.

“I’d like more, but I couldn’t – not until you knew the truth. Jared, I’ve been falling for you since you sat at this table eating breakfast that first morning. I swear it’s the truth, and I know you have no reason to trust me now, but I do – I love you, Jared.”

Jared slumped back in his seat. His heart was thumping inside his chest, his stomach somersaulting. Hearing Jensen say how he felt, say he loved him – it was as though those words were a sword, running through the lump of fear and terror and chaos that had taken hold of Jared’s mind for so long.

Jared reached out and took one of Jensen’s hands in his own, looking up and meeting his eyes. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, tracking warm down his cheek. He nodded, and watched as Jensen’s eyes lit up, that glimmer of hope in them igniting and catching flame.

“You’ll stay?” Jensen’s voice broke at the end.

“Yeah,” Jared said. “I’ll stay.”

Jensen was up from his seat in half a second, his arms wrapping around Jared’s shoulders. Jared stood, awkwardly forcing Jensen to step back, then hooked his own arms around Jensen’s waist. They stood there entangled for what seemed like ages, until Jensen slid a hand up to cup the back of Jared’s head, pulling his face away from Jared’s shoulder and brushing his lips softly along his temple. Jared lifted his head, glancing into Jensen’s eyes before leaning in, pressing their mouths together. Jensen parted first, sucking Jared’s bottom lip slightly between his, then his tongue reached out, teasing at Jared’s lips. Jared opened to him, and their mouths slotted together the way they were always meant to be.

Their kiss grew deeper and faster in small increments, until they’d pressed their bodies tight together, hands gripping at hair and hips, legs pressing between thighs, cocks hardening. Eventually Jared pulled his mouth away, looked down into Jensen’s eyes.

“Bed?” Jared asked quietly, hardly more than a whisper as he continued to search the green in front of him.

“Oh, _fuck_ yes,” Jensen replied, the words coming out with a relieved breath of air, his voice low, gravelly, and filled with lust. Jared pressed one more kiss, hard and fast, to Jensen’s lips, before he turned and made his way across the camper to the bed, shedding his shirts as he went, tossing them to the floor in a heap. He turned and sat on the edge of the bed, eyes darting up to watch as Jensen pulled his own shirt over his head, his chest smooth and pale, freckles dotting his shoulders. Then Jensen was in Jared’s space, his lips against Jared’s, his body pushing forward, forcing Jared backward to lay on the bed. The weight of Jensen’s body on top of his sent a shiver up Jared’s spine, and it worked its way out through his mouth as a gasp.

Jensen’s hips, wedged between Jared’s thighs, pressed forward and back, slowly rocking against Jared, their bodies so tight Jared’s own hips instinctively returned the thrusts, heat radiating from them both, swirling and blending and increasing with each back and forth. Jared felt Jensen’s teeth drop to the curve of his collarbone, dragging across the sensitive skin with just enough pressure to force a moan from his throat.

“Oh my _god_ , Jensen…” Jared said, his breath pushing out in a rush, barely able to form the words. “I’m about ready to come in my pants.”

“Mmmm…” Jensen hummed against Jared’s throat, drifting his mouth up to whisper into his ear. “Then let’s get them off.”

Jensen slid back, giving Jared room while his hands reached for Jared’s waistband. His fingers popped the button quickly, and then tugged at his zipper, relieving the pressure on his cock. Jared lifted his hips when Jensen started tugging, the woosh of denim sliding off his legs a match to the rush of fresh air on his thighs and groin. Jared watched as Jensen quickly took off his own pants, his eyes zeroing in on Jensen’s dick, long and thick, flushed red at the head and leaking. Jared licked his lips as he met Jensen’s eyes, their gazes locked as Jensen moved back in, lowering himself down in the space between Jared’s legs, his chest a satisfying weight against Jared’s.

He gasped when Jensen dove forward, capturing his mouth in another searing kiss, tongues twining together as Jensen’s hips thrust forward a few times, the too-good friction dragging moans from Jared’s mouth. Then Jensen drew back, changing focus now, his mouth latching onto the flesh of Jared’s chest, tongue sliding out to trace the lines of his pecs, one hand gripping and sliding across hip and thigh, kneading and pinching like he needed to feel everything at once. A knot of desire let loose from the pit of Jared’s stomach then, spiraling out through his body in a wave of lust and want and need, his hands pulling at Jensen’s shoulders to draw him up, hungrily latching on to Jensen’s lips, sucking his tongue into his mouth. He slid his hands up Jensen’s back, fingernails dragging across his skin, and it sent a shiver through Jensen’s body that seemed to land in his hips, causing him to thrust forward hard. Their cocks slid together, precome mixing and easing the way. Jared reached down to hook a hand behind one knee and pull his leg up and out, moving his other leg outward too, opening and spreading himself wider. Jensen took the cue and dipped his hips low, sliding up, pushing the head of his cock against the smooth, sensitive skin between Jared’s ass and balls. Another shaky, breathy gasp escaped from Jared, his whole body starting to tremble with anticipation. Jensen dipped back and thrust up again, this time with more intention, forcing his cock in between Jared’s firm, muscular cheeks. Jared gasped and pressed down against it, begging for more, digging his fingernails into Jensen’s shoulders so hard he was sure it was going to leave a mark.

Jared felt Jensen shudder under his hands, then his lips were against Jared’s again, pushing a growling moan into Jared’s mouth as their tongues tangled together. Jensen’s teeth caught Jared’s lower lip, biting down lightly as he started thrusting his hips forward again, nudging the leaking head of his dick teasingly at Jared’s hole, making Jared shiver with pleasure and need.

“I want to fuck you, Jared,” Jensen breathed into Jared’s mouth. “Want to fuck you so bad…”

“Fuck... _yes…_ ” Jared forced out, his words slurred as they mixed with his groans. Jensen pushed up on his elbows, fingers pushing Jared’s hair back from his face, his eyes meeting Jared’s. His face was flushed, his eyes hooded with want. Jared’s hips twitched upward, driving Jensen’s cock against his hole again.

Jensen’s eyes fell closed with a sigh, then he sprang from the bed to the cupboard, rooting around until he came out with a bottle of lube in his hand and fell back onto the bed. Jared watched him squeeze out a few drops onto his fingers, spreading it around as soon as he reached down between Jared’s spread thighs. Jared jumped slightly as the cool lube met his overheated skin, but then everything else slipped away as he felt the tip of Jensen’s finger circling his entrance. As soon as Jensen pressed the tip inside, Jared’s hips jolted forward, taking the finger deeper. Jared heard the breathy sigh Jensen let out as he pushed in deeper, and Jared began to rock his hips, bearing down on Jensen’s hand.

Jared lost all sense of time, but at some point Jensen added a second finger and was reaching deep enough to nudge Jared’s prostate, sending fireworks throughout his body. Jared’s cock was aching, and he forced himself to keep his hands tangled in the sheets instead of stroking himself, desperate to come but wanting to make this last as long as possible.

By the time Jensen added a third, Jared was sweating and thrashing on the bed, gasping and moaning with each thrust of his fingers that were filling Jared up, so close to being enough but only making Jared ache for more.

“Jared,” he said, the name falling out with a sigh, his tone questioning, needing reassurance, not willing to cause any pain. Jared fluttered his eyes open and gazed up at Jensen, dazed, his head nodding slightly.

“God, _Jensen_ … yes, I’m ready, please…” he whispered while his hips chased Jensen’s hand. That was all Jensen needed, and he eased his fingers from Jared’s body. He grabbed the lube, squeezed some out onto his hand and slicked himself up before leaning forward, lining his cock up and pushing in. There was a brief moment, the hard pressure of his cock head against Jared’s hole, when Jared willed himself open, relaxing the muscles until Jensen was sliding inside, slowly, deliberately, both of them groaning at the movement, the sensation, the… _everything_. When he was all the way in, Jensen paused, his arms trembling where they were holding himself up, a light sheen of sweat coating his face and chest. Jared stilled, too, the full feeling too good, threatening to make him come nearly instantly. When the impending wave of ecstasy had subsided he started to move, circling his hips up against Jensen, urging him on. Taking the hint, Jensen began pumping into Jared slowly at first, then faster and more forcefully, balancing himself with one hand pressed to the bed, reaching up with his free hand to make a fist around the length of Jared’s pulsing cock, giving him something to fuck into as Jared thrust up his hips to meet Jensen’s rhythm, speeding up the closer he grew to the precipice. Jensen leaned forward, mouthing at Jared’s neck, his teeth scraping lightly.

Jared gasped, a shiver running up his body when he felt the sharp tips against his skin. He didn’t need to see to know Jensen’s fangs had descended. He heard a sharp intake of breath as Jensen pulled back, realizing what he was doing. Jared tilted his head back slightly, stretching his neck, offering it to him.

“It’s okay. You can. Do it, Jensen.” Jared wrapped a hand around the back of Jensen’s neck, tugging him back down. “I want to give it to you.”

Jensen groaned, his lips dropping back to Jared’s neck, the motion of his thrusting matching the laving of his tongue. Jared moaned when he felt the fangs drag, gentle at first, then press, slowly, carefully, and finally pierce his skin. Jensen’s lips wrapped around the punctures, his tongue swirling across the two tiny wounds and he whimpered, his hips faltering, slowing as he began to suck. Jared could feel the flow of blood leaving the punctures, but unlike any other time before, it thrilled him. His hips snapped up, forcing Jensen’s cock deeper into his ass, dragging the head across his prostate and sending an electric jolt through his whole body.

Jensen pulled his lips from Jared’s neck, a gutteral grunt escaping his throat as he licked once more, one last taste of Jared’s blood. He took so little, compared to what Jared had experienced before, but it seemed to satisfy him completely. Jared opened his eyes to see Jensen’s face, eyes closed tight in bliss, tongue slipping out to lick at his lips, tasting the last drops. Then with a shudder, Jensen’s hips started thrusting faster, deeper, and his cock seemed to grow impossibly harder as it struck Jared’s prostate again and again.

“I’m close, Jared, so close,” Jensen muttered when their pace reached a near frenzy of fucking and grunting and sounds of slapping. Jared was only spurred on by Jensen’s words, a near desperate, wanton moan escaping his throat.

“Ngh, fuck me, Jensen… I’m… _almost_...” Jared stuttered through his gasping breath, his words going straight to Jensen’s hips as he pumped harder still, thrusting deeper, then the deepest knot in his core unfurled, shockwaves throughout his body, bringing him right to the edge. Jensen’s movements came to a shuddering stop as he tensed and came with a shout, the sound causing Jared’s orgasm to start vibrating through him, his muscles clenching around Jensen’s shaft, milking him through it. Jensen thrust deeply several more times, as though he had to be absolutely sure, filling Jared with everything he had to give. Grinding in hard once more, he pulled a low, satisfied moan from Jared before Jensen started to collapse, his supporting elbow growing weak and shaky. Jensen pulled out gently, immediately scrambling upward to kiss him firmly, his shaking hands coming up to hold Jared’s sweat-slick and panting face. Then, exhausted, Jensen dropped down to his side next to Jared, pressing his body close and wrapping an arm tightly around his torso, his chin tucked into his neck so Jared could feel each gasping breath cooling his damp skin.  

Jared slid his hand over Jensen’s arm, his fingers wrapping around his bicep. They didn’t speak, even after they’d both caught their breath, but Jared could feel it, the connection between them, the love, the trust. He could feel the last remnants of fear in his head slipping away as he drifted off to sleep, the man he’d make his life with in his arms. He knew, without either of them needing to say it, that they’d survive, together. And more than that, they would truly make the best of it, and get to really live.

 


End file.
